bad
by xrosegolddreamsx
Summary: If you're not good then what are you? There's two sides and the line is obvious. But when you can't even trust the so called heroes as the secrets and lies pile up, then who can you trust? Starfire centric. {tragedy, mystery, romance and drama} Rated M for adult situations, language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: The adjective "bad" can have multiple meanings. It could mean good, cool, badass, bad-to-the-bone, stubborn, rebellious, creative, inferior, harmful, dangerous, putrid, diseased, worthless, or wicked. If you want more options you can go get a thesaurus or open up Google. However, we need a single synonym that goes amazingly with the term bad._

 _I pick the word 'badass' to sum it up even though the word 'bad' is in it. Guess I cheated. What do you pick? Review!_

 ** _Warning_** ** _: Be prepared to have your feels messed with in this story._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or any other products or references in this story._**

 ** _Author's Disclaimer: I own this story line and the characters who're not from DC. I also own the short depressing paragraphs, they aren't stolen from anywhere. I promise._**

 ** _Sorry for all of the depressing short paragraphs in the beginning of chapters. It's just a storyline set up for what's actually happening through Starfire's mind set. And here's the beginning:_**

* * *

 _When you are innocent and no one believes you, does that make them bad or does that make you good? Does it make you good in a way that you know what you did was good and them bad for not trusting you or does it make you bad that you're not believing the lies they tell you? What exactly is trust and when can it be br_ ** _ok_** _en?_

* * *

 _"I didn't do it! I promise you! Richard? What are they doing? Where am I-Don't touch me! Release me at once! Unhand me! Richard? Comeback! Richard!"_

 _The tall, brooding nineteen year old had fresh cut tears in his eyes. He held onto the crying red headed girl in his arms and they took his girlfriend away. He watched silently, disbelievingly. Barbra sobbed into Dick's chiseled chest and Kory's face heated up with jealousy._

 _On the floor laid Dick's brother, Jason Todd, with shattered glass surrounding his body. The police officers put up yellow tape around the large four bedroom apartment and Kory was ushered out in handcuffs. Her saffron hair flew wildly and they tightened the handcuffs around her wrist. It dug into her skin and Richard rubbed Barbra's shaking back._

 _Commissioner Gordon paced around Kory's apartment and wrote notes down in his notepad._

 _The red door was opened widely and allowed sunlight to shine through the three open rooms. Insects flew in and out and a breeze ruffled the white curtains. Bruce Wayne, Richard's adoptive father, was currently talking to Commissioner Gordon while Richard comforted Barbra Gordon. He tried desperately to hide behind his sunglasses. He wanted to believe her but those were her finger prints._

 _Advil, Aspirin and Anti-Depressants were sprawled out on the counter and some of the pills were on the floor. Channels four, twenty-six and ten were all outside of the apartment. They screamed questions and flashed their cameras at the building. The one time Kory decided to move out on her own and this is what happens._

 _The two walked around the body and the broken glass to the open front door. They walked passed the police car, where Kory was frantically pounding on the tinted windows and into Dick's black convertible._

 _"How long is your girlfriend going to spend in jail?"_

 _"What did she do?"_

 _"Are you two still going strong?"_

 _"Will you marry me?"_

 _"Are you romantically involved with Barbra Gordon?"_

 _Kory bawled her eyes out and kicked the backseat. With her handcuffs still around her wrist, she banged them on the bulletproof window. She saw her best friend's gray mustang pull up to the side of the apartment complex and her friend's boyfriend beside her. She watched as her boyfriend walked passed the police car with Barbra wrapped around his arm and he didn't even give her a glance._

 _She still had court right? She was innocent. Maybe even too innocent. She was the gullible, naive alien who didn't know all of the laws and would believe her. He would believe her. They had to, he had to._

 _But they didn't._

 _He stood right there, as the plaintiff, and said that she was guilty. That she was the murderer. She was no longer a Titans, a heroine or his girlfriend. She was an outlaw, murderer, guilty and now his ex._

* * *

 **Downtown Jump City Jail**

 **7:01 PM**

I want to die. I want to literally crawl in a hole and die. I hate my life. I hate being an alien. I hate being me. I left the Gordadians and the Pisons to get out of the dark and they just throw me back behind bars.

I am so confused about what I did wrong. All I remember is walking home to my apartment as I was speaking with my boyfriend at the time and when I turned on the lights, Jason's body was lying lifelessly on the floor. We called the police and FBI and they claimed that they searched for fingerprints and mine matched. Well, duh, it is my apartment but there's no way it could be on his body. I didn't touch him.

I yelled, screamed, kicked for them to let me go to his funeral. I'm surprised they still sent me to jail and not an asylum. They said that if Richard allows me to, they'll permit me to. And the bastard said no, bat family only.

Barbra went and so did Alfred, whom I only met twice but I know he's their butler. When Richard and Bruce had said that I was family they meant that they were going to allow me to know their secret identity and go over to drink hot chocolate at the mansion. I would never be apart of the real family and earn their real trust. It was because I was an alien and I was different and I hated myself for it.

I had long, vermilion hair that reached my waist and I had emerald eyes. My name originates from French on Earth and the translation here is _hollow_ while on Tamaran it translates to _star_. I'm currently wearing all orange and I've spent the last six year in communal showers and cafeteria food. When I was first put into jail I was rocking a new haircut that bounced to my shoulder blades. Now, in its natural state: long and unruly.

I sat in all orange and ate my grits in peace.

Well, not peace. I sat in the cafeteria with gray flooring and other women smoked cigarettes and arm-wrestled.

Over the past six years and seven months, I only spoke with two ladies: Donna Troy and Jenny Hex. Apparently, Donna was accused of stabbing her husband in the chest because he popped his sugar free gum and Jenny...Well, Jenny was a crack case. She had bright pink dyed hair, which looked ridiculous for a twenty four year old, and used to date Wally West. Turns out she's been thrown in jail countless times as Jinx. However, Donna and I were both heroines and the so called good guys.

The rest of my life was going to be spent in here.

I dipped my plastic spoon inside of my barely washed bowl and chewed all of the lumpy hot cereal. I brushed my hair behind my ear and continued to chew. "Uno!" Donna shouted out from beside me. Her and Jenny were playing a card game that I didn't understand. Jenny cursed underneath of her breath and then grinned at me,"Wanna play, Kor? You can shuffle."

I shrunk at the sudden attention,"I-I don't exactly know how to play yet shuffle."

"We'll teach you," Donna popped her pink gum and gave the pile of cards to Jenny.

Jenny shuffled the cards slowly,"Each player gets seven cards each. The goal is to have zero. So, the first player flips a card randomly to start the game off. You have to place a card down only if it is the same number or color as the previous card shown-"

"Well, what if it's both?"

She waved it off,"It does really matter. If you have nothing in common with the card shown then you have to draw a card from the deck." When she said deck, she placed the shuffled cards on the table. Donna delt them out and popped another bubble in her gum. As instructed, I flipped the first card from the deck randomly and saw it was a yellow five. The girls checked their own cards and then waited for me to put one of my cards down.

I had a blue two, red four a twisty looking green card..Ooh..I looked over the card that was currently between my finger tips. It had multiple other cards as a picture so this card clearly must be superior. I hesitantly placed the card down and Donna gasped. Jenny laughed and laughed.

"Oh, Jinx! That's not fair, you didn't explain those cards to her!"

I haven't heard anyone call her Jinx in while. Jenny shrugged off her villain name and sat back down on her side of the bench.

Jenny winked at me and said,"At a girl, Star! Go ahed and draw four, Don!"

Donna picked the first four cards on the deck and then stuck her tongue out at me playfully. I gave her a faint laugh. "Pick a color."

"Uh, purple."

Donna shook her head,"Purple's not a color in this game. You have to choose between red, blue, green or yellow."

"Oh," I said humiliated,"Blue."

Jenny placed down a blue seven and then looked at Donna who groaned again. "You just hate me today, don't you, Kor?" She plucked a card from the deck. We laughed it off and went around. Donna had collected nine extra cards and claimed it was beginner's luck. Our laughter was cut short as a short lady with African braids walked over to their table. The woman's keys jangled in her pocket. She placed her coa coa hands on the table and leaned in. "If you're done eating, put your bowl in the washing center. And Kory?"

I placed my cards face down on the wooden table,"Yes?"

"You have a call."

* * *

"Hello?" I asked into the cold, black telephone.

I've never been in the call room before. Not once through all four years have I ever gotten a phone call. The room was surprisingly air conditioned compared to the cafeteria and the cells. There were a line of telephones for long distance calls that sat unoccupied as I was the only one using one. An officer stood behind my chair as I awaited a response from the other line.

 _"Hello, is this Kory Anders? Former Starfire?"_

Former?

"Uh, yes?"

"Yes, there was some sort of mix up concerning the evidence and the finger prints provided. We are just receiving information that they are not compatible with your own and that you were being framed by someone else. We are currently working with our team and other sources to discover who it was that did this. I am here with Bruce Wayne being sent right now to collect you to a classified location as we speak. We suggest that you-"

"Wait, so I'm not spending the rest of my life in prison?" I asked hesitantly and confused.

"No, there was a mistake. We apologize as a police department for causing unwanted commotion and we shall have Mister Wayne pick you up in about twelve hours so you can have enough time to gather your belongings. There should be an article about this in the newspaper in about two days time. Thank you for your time and we apologize for any confusion. Good bye."

I heard the brief click of the other line signaling that the call had ended. I stared at the receiver in my hand and replayed the conversation. This had to be a joke. I was in this place for six years, longer than I was a Titan, and now I didn't even have to be here. Oh I was furious and I still couldn't light my starbolts properly.

I turned around in the chair and stared at the police man,"You knew about this?"

His gray eyes met mine briefly,"I am not sure what you're referring to, ma'am. We should head back to your holding cell."

I stood up so quickly that the chair nearly fell over. The officer flinched and stuck a hand in his pocket. He was probably going to pull something out, maybe a taser, maybe a walkie-talkie to contact the other policemen. He didn't though. He had his and in his pocket and gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry for whatever happened. My order from the general is to simply bring you to your cell to pack whatever items you have."

I stared into the wrinkles on his face and then nodded my head slowly. He escorted me out of the door and led me back to my cell. I did not even get to finish my card game with Donna and Jenny. I walked into my holding cell and looked around a final time. I saw two of my other room mates asleep, still in their orange suits, so I walked stealthily.

I opened the closet door, where all our other uniforms hung, and reached into the very back. I allowed my hand to slide around until I found it. My old uniform. My old purple skirt, boots, halter top, the gloves and my chest plate. I took all the items in my hand and laid them out on my bunk. It made me want to cry but I couldn't. I wouldn't and I definitely shouldn't. But I did.

Hot tears slid out of my emerald eyes. It stung my eyes and my vision became hazy and blurry. My shaking hand tried to desperately wipe away the flowing tears escaping my tear ducts. I ended up poking my eye with my finger nail. It made me feel happy yet upset that they didn't believe me the first time. I used my orange sleeve to wipe at my face and snorted my snot.

I looked at my old, too small uniform on the bed, and I took my shaking hands and placed them on top of the cloth. I squinted my eyes shut and lit up my starbolts. They stung and burned my skin. My hands shook and I could feel the fabric turning into ashes. I felt a smile come across my face as the old uniform disintegrated beneath my very hands. _I did that._ The smell was thick and smelled of smoke. Once I had a pile of ash, I swept it on the floor and underneath my bed frame.

I didn't manage to burn everything. I didn't have enough energy for that. The chest plate was still there. I picked it up and looked it over. I gripped onto the cold metal tightly and traced over every line and curve before throwing it to the wall where it left a dent.

"Would you shut up already?" A buff girl said from the top bunk across the room.

I didn't even recall her name and it didn't even matter. I glared at her and she rolled her eyes before turning over in her bed. I slid off my combat boots and balled up my socks. The sheets were cool against my feet and I could still feel some of the left over particles from my uniform.

I braided my hair in a single french braid and the placed my head on the cool pillow. My hand slid underneath of the cool side of the pillow and I stared at the locked bars. I forced my eyes shut and drifted off into unconsciousness. I didn't dream or anything. Just pitch black, knocked out cold.

Tomorrow, everything would change. I just didn't know if I wanted it to.

* * *

 **A/N: Ugh, that was a lot of italicizing. Reviews are greatly appreciated! If I get enough I'll publish the second chapter tonight! ;) Until next time, loves!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: My goal was to get 10 reviews or more to continue but 7 was pretty damn close. Plus I got quite a couple of PMs so here you go.**

* * *

 _Muttering into thin air and expecting a miracle or a sign. When you place your hands together and ask for forgiveness, say you're thankful for the food that you eat or asking for someone else to get better. There comes a time when you realize that when you place your hands together all you get is you palm and when you say you're thankful for food you still end up eating things that other babies in Africa don't have. When you ask for someone to get better they end up dead anyways. So what's the point? Because it's what you're supposed to do, it says so in your religion. If you don't do it, it's bad._

* * *

 **Downtown Jump City Jail**

 **7:32 AM**

I awoke with an ear splitting headache and my nine stomachs were rumbling with hunger. I shifted and slid my hand out from underneath of the hot pillow and stood up. The sheets were tangled and the ashes were still on the floor and that's how I was going to leave it. Oh, no wait...

I spat on the flooring and then confidently walked to the bathroom. Jolene, a skinny blonde girl with anorexia, was puking into the already clogged toilet. She had a frizzy bob cut and seemed to be laughing as she vomited.

The buff girl was shaving her armpit hair with a rusted razor over the one sink we had and I slowly backed out. It was kind of funny how I, an alien powerhouse, was in a normal earthen prison with Donna, another powerhouse. However I was practically powerless without the sun and Donna without her whip.

I slipped on my socks and then my combat boots. I tied the long laces sloppily and lopsidedly. Good enough. I walked up to the bars and placed my hands firmly around them, waiting for them to open them up so we could eat breakfast. About thirty minutes afterwards, they did open the jail bars, but only for me. There were two security guards while another one escorted me down a long gray hallway. I've never been on this side of the jail.

The held my arm in place until we reached the very front of the jail. Not even bothering with handcuffs, they released my arms and instructed me to sit in one of the chairs. I felt my leg bouncing up and down as I waited and waited and then I heard it. I heard Mister Wayne's low voice whispering with a polite tone. That same professional tone he uses when on television or at an interview.

I hear his footsteps pace the floor slowly but heavily. I fix my posture and focus my eyes on the door frame. I scratched my wrist and bit my lip nervously.

I looked up and met eyes with The Bruce Wayne. His ocean blue eyes met mine in a hard glare. He smiled softly at me and walked over to me. I stood up.

"Hello, Miss Anders, nice to see you again."

He didn't call me _Starfire_ nor _Former Starfire_. He called me by my real name and for that, I was thankful.

He was wearing a well fitted black and white suit with a light gray tie. His ebony hair was gelled back and my hair was in a frizzy french braid. I nodded at him, utterly speechless, and he smiled a billion dollar smile at me. I didn't even brush my teeth this morning. He probably thought I was some slob.

Without another word, we walked out to the front desk where I signed my signature that Mister Wayne did in fact pick me up. We opened the doors and stepped out into the sun. The spring March air felt good against my pale skin. I rolled up my orange sleeves and got into Bruce's limo.

The drive was smooth and short. The tinted windows were rolled down so the warm breeze could run through the limo. Bruce answered his phone multiple times before we arrived at the tower. The bay looked even more beautiful than I can remember and I allowed my face to relax. I smiled at the memories.

Bruce got out first and opened the door for me. I guess that answers my question about going back to my apartment. I was slightly confused that this was the confidential location I was going to. It wasn't confidential at all.

We walked side by side into the tower and I placed my hand on the scanner. It flashed red and blinked repeatedly at me. I jumped back surprised but, I suppose I should have known. Of course they changed my hand print from being a code. Bruce looked at me sympathetically before placing his hand over the scanner. It flashed a green before the metal bridge extended out for us to go over the bay.

I felt a wave of anger before I convinced myself that it was all just for emergency purposes.

We walked slowly towards the tower, enjoying the warm spring air. The elevator doors opened up and the air conditioning blew in my face. The doors closed and we rose up to the main level.

* * *

 **Jump City Titans' Tower**

 **8:25 AM**

My stomach fluttered with butterflies and sweat gathered on my brow. I bit my lip and paced the small floor space. The dinging of the elevator flooded my ears.

"You know he missed you," Bruce said in that stern voice of his.

"Well, I don't," I lied. In truth I've missed all of them, even though they didn't believe me.

The doors opened and everything smelled the same and everything looked pretty much the same. The sofa was still black and the television was still projected on the wall. Bruce walked in and glanced around,"They must be on a mission. They'll be back soon. I have to head back to Gotham-"

"So you're not going to accompany me?"

"No, I'm sure when Dick gets back, you guys can talk and he'll help you get resettled."

"Wait!" I said awkwardly. My voice echoed through the nearly empty tower. He raised an eyebrow,"Can I ask you something?" My voice was softer the second time.

He seemed surprised,"What is it?"

"Do you think that..the other Titans will still consider me...as a...you know...a Titan? I mean now that I've been thrown in jail and all-"

"Kory, you were thrown in jail for nothing you actually did. It was a false trial and were framed. None of this mess is your fault and once you're a Titan, you stay a Titan. I'll see you later." He offered me a small grin.

I just nodded and watched him go back down the elevator.

I inhaled the scent of the tower and walked around. They change the pillows from red to a light gray, Beastboy and Cyborg have purchased a new Playstation and there was fresh real fruit on the counter in a bowl. I picked up a banana and peeled the peeling down. I walked down the gray hallways that reminded me too much of the jail and into my old room, I bit into my banana and placed my hand on the scanner. It flashed red at me again and asked me to try again.

I sighed. With my remaining super strength, I opened the doors manually. I walked slowly into the bright room.

My curtains were gone which left the window exposed, my bed sheets were folded on the mattress and my picture frames were on my side table. I bit into the mushy fruit and walked all the way inside of my room and the doors shut automatically. New lavender sheets were made neatly on my circular mattress. I opened one of the drawers to my dresser and found a black laced brassiere, tan spandex, gray socks, a purple bikini and a very small black thong.

I jogged over to the closet and found that all my old uniforms were still hanging up. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

On the left wall, where my pictures used to be, I saw new pictures. I walked over to them slowly and examined the photos on the wall. I saw a picture of Blackfire and Raven at her favorite café, Beastboy her and Cyborg at an arcade and there were several collages of Barbra and Richard at the park, beach, cinema, restaurants, a cruise for crying out loud and then I heard it.

I heard water running from my old bathroom.

I froze and stared at the closed door. I walked over to it slowly and placed my hand over the cold, metal doorknob, which was also new. As soon as my palm wrapped around it I heard voices.

" _Oh yes_ ," someone moaned from the other side of the door.

I opened the door wider to find, just as I suspect, Blackfire. She was nearly naked. She was straddling someone in pristine panties that were soaked and see through, whether from water or from her, and she was wearing one of my old bras.

She stood up and I saw his face, I saw Richard's face and he was smiling.

Blackfire walked towards the door and I panicked. Quickly, I ran into my walk-in closet and hid. She walked out laughing and pulled Dick out with her. I peeked through the crack in the door and watched disbelievingly. Blackfire arched her back towards him. She was practically bursting out of my old brassiere and I felt immensely embarrassed like she had done it on purpose. It was my old favorite bra that clipped in the front; B-cup.

I didn't want to see them fuck but I also didn't want them to know I was there watching them.

She presented herself on the bed and Richard shirtlessly did the same. She unbuckled his pants and he was left in his plaid boxers. He kissed her deeply and cupped her breast in his hand. My stomach plummeted and I felt extremely dirty watching them like this. Blackfire slowly slid the straps of my bra off of her tanned shoulders.

" _New bra?_ " Richard asked hoarsely.

Blackfire laughed loudly, _"Oh no, I found one of Star's small bras_." She pushed her tits in his face and kissed him with every part of her mouth," _Decided it should get some good use. Poor small thing."_

I felt my face heat up and cupped my own breasts. They were definitely bigger than a B-cup from when I was sixteen but, I wasn't sure it they were as big as Blackfire's. I looked away from the small crack in the door and took off my shirt. My tank top was a plain white. I finished my banana and placed the peel on the floor to get later. I tried my best to ignore the moans and kissing noises. I untied my combat boots and tried to tie them as neatly as I could.

I checked outside of the crack and they were still making out.

 _"We should stop, Bruce told me that Star was going to be visiting soon."_

" _She's coming back? Babe, she murdered your younger brother and-"_

Richard spoke louder than her," _And, Barbra's coming back with Rachel so you know what that means."_

I could sense her annoyed facial expression. " _Fine._ "

I heard the mattress squeak as the pressure from the bed was released. I heard footsteps walk pass the closet door and back into my bathroom. Once I heard the bathroom door close, I opened the door and came eye to eye with Blackfire.

"Oh, hello little sister," She said sinisterly. She grinned at me and I mentally face palmed myself. I waved at her and then quickly exited my old room. She followed me out only wearing a buttoned collared shirt that was unbuttoned and the same white thong. Her black hair was straight and fell just beneath her neck. "So, I'm sure Dick's almost done. Maybe then you can wash yourself off because you look like shit right now."

I had on a spaghetti strapped tank top, combat boots and my long orange jail pants. I put a hand behind my head and felt my frizzy braid. I knew she was just being honest but I felt extremely exposed like I was the one nearly naked. "That's what jail does to you."

"Hey," her smirk was replaced with a frown,"You okay?"

I cleared my throat,"Uh, yea." I lied again. She's been to jail countless times before. The only difference was she was the one who committed the crimes.

She smiled at me again,"Good, because we're just sex pals. We're not dating so it's not wrong."

I raised an eyebrow up at her,"Sex pals?" It sounded weird coming out of my mouth. It was kind of funny the way we said it.

She rolled her eyes,"We just have sex. Friends with benefits, booty call, and all that jazz. Now, next time, don't be a creepy stalker and watch us."

So she knew. She was just putting up a show.

I rolled my eyes back at her,"Then please don't discuss things about me while you're doing that sort of thing."

Her hips swayed as she walked back into my old room,"Whatever."

* * *

 **Jump City Titans' Tower**

 **9:00 am**

I twiddled my thumbs and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. My long sleeved orange shirt was swung over my shoulder as I sat on the couch. I undid my french braid and now it was tangled in messy curls down my back. I rested my head on the new gray cushions and stared directly out of the large windows.

So he didn't love me enough to believe that I was innocent and always wanted to hold back on our sex life until marriage, which I respected, but now he's fucking with my sister? My _alien_ sister? Maybe it wasn't the fact that I was an alien and that I was different and weird. It was because of the fact that I loved mustard, was ambidextrous, played the cello, trombone and bagpipes. That I was me.

I wanted to die.

Maybe if I tried hard enough, X'hal would sense my distress and just end it. I squinted my eyes shut and soaked in the sun. Well, if X'hal hasn't answered my prayers nor saved me from the lies people have been feeding me and making up, maybe I'd have to take matters in my own hands. I prayed that X'hal would protect us from the ear that was happening on my home world and half of my family and planet were murdered and imprisoned. I prayed that my great grandmother would get better and overcome with her illness and it just so happens that the doctors and healers didn't have the correct medication. I prayed that my friends would believe me and my innocence and I was thrown in jail for five years. That's five years of my life that I'll never get back.

I prayed that my lover would still love me even though of the accusation I was receiving and he just had sex with my sister. No one bothered to contact me or Donna through the prison telephone. Each time I pray for something, it doesn't happen. There's no response. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just sitting on my knees muttering into thin air.

Hell, I can't even pray for X'hal to kill me because it wouldn't happen. Praying to God was like wishing on a damn dandelion.

I continued to question my Christianity as I traced my hands over my burned wrists. It must have been from last night when I burned my old uniform. It was bruised and sore. I sighed and flipped over on my back. I'd have to take matters into my own hands. It was simple math. If one wanted to starve they would not eat. If one wanted to dehydrate, they wouldn't drink. If I wanted to end it, I'd have to kill myself.

"Did you want me to cut the TV on for you?"

I sat up alertly and looked behind me. Richard walked over to the couch and supported his weight. His tight fitting polo allowed anyone to see his muscles and his mask was traded out for a pair of sunglasses. I shook my head and stood up to walk away. I didn't know where I was going but, he didn't try to stop me. The big metallic doors slid open and the rest of the team stepped inside of the tower.

Cyborg, Bumblebee, Beastboy, Babs and Raven walked through in civilian clothing and smoothies in hand. All conversation ceased once they're eyes caught mine.

"Star?"

"Oh my goodness, is that really you? Come here!" Bumblebee exclaimed excitingly. She pulled me into an embrace and Raven, Babs and Beastboy joined in. I soon felt Cyborg's strong arms embrace me as well and I stood there awkwardly.

"It's great to have you back little lady!" Cyborg said with his holographic ring around his finger.

"What's the matter? You love hugs," "Beastboy asked as he let go and walked into the kitchen.

I shrugged my shoulders and they all let go. I felt betrayed and excluded. They removed my hand-print as a code and now they expect me to befriend them all over again? Richard walked over and pecked Babs on the lips. I've never been more confused.

"What happened? How long have you been here?" Rachel asked curiously. Her purple hair was shaved on one side and the other side hung to her neck.

They all listened intently,"Well, yesterday I received my first call in five years from the Federal Bureau of Investigation informing me that they had imprisoned the wrong person for Jason's murder. So I had twelve hours to prepare my items and Bruce picked me up from Gotham and brought me here. I arrived at about eight."

"Oh, Starfire, I'm so sorry you had to go through with this," Raven said sincerely.

"We're all sorry," Richard spoke in that leadership tone of his when he made a group announcement. "We should've believed you and should've tried harder to prove your innocence. We love you, Star."

His tone was diplomatic and unloving but convincing. I wanted to believe it. He continued to stare at me as if I was nothing but a holographic figure. I even felt my face heat up when he said the word love. But then I remembered my sister, Babs, no one contacting me and the scanner.

"You look a bit pale, you okay?" Blackfire asked for the second time this morning.

My shoulders shrunk down at all of the attention. I nodded, lying again. "Yeah it's just lack of sunlight. I have, uh, a couple of questions. What about the scanners? And why exactly are you two here, not that I do not want you here."

"Star," Cyborg said slowly picking out his words carefully,"We thought you were a murderer. We had to follow the protocol and Dick needed some emotional support so Babs invited herself."

"And as for Blackfire," Babs said,"We sent out a transmission to take your place."

"Well, not exactly take you place," Richard rubbed the back of his neck,"Just to keep your spot warm, I guess."

"For the rest of my life," I finished for him. They looked at me sadly. It was all true. I nodded slowly and fibbed,"It's fine. Can I use your telephone, please?"

"Kory, you live here too. You've never stopped being apart of this family," Cyborg said softly.

I raised a vermilion eyebrow,"Is that why my hand print has been removed, why I've been replaced, why you've never called nor believed me?"

Richard said sternly,"Star, I've told you before. No one can take your place. _No one_."

Well, he lied on that one again. I visibly rolled my eyes and spoke politely,"Can I use your phone, please?"

"Sure," Raven muttered,"Follow me."

I didn't bother to follow her into the hallway as I already knew where the telephone was. I was merely being polite. Once she realized I was not going to follow her to talk to her in private like she probably wanted, I dialed the police station. I felt the awkward attention and turned my back on them. They stood at the front entrance and listened. While the phone rang, I twirled my finger around the cord.

" _Down Town Jump City Prison, which Titan is speaking?_ "

"Uh, Starfire, I'm calling to contact Donna Troy."

The voice was urgent, _"I am sorry to inform you that you are no longer located in the Titans' West Tower of Jump City. You may proceed your call to whomever as soon as you have permission from one of the other titans in the current building. It's for emergency and security purposes only. Nothing against you at all."_

My shoulder's slumped,"What? I am a titan! This is ridiculous."

" _Please, Starfire, if you don't we will be forced to record the phone call, papers are going to have to get signed and_ -"

"But I _am_ a Titan!"

It seemed like I was really trying to convince myself rather than her.

 _"No, you're not. You've been removed from the Titans three years ago," The female voice said,"It would be time consuming to continue this conversation. Please either hang up or put on of the titans on the phone."_

I was outraged. They would've never even bothered to talk to me face to face with that tone. I've lost other's respect, I've lost my own respect.

"What's wrong, Star?" Cyborg asked.

"They won't let me talk until a T _itan_ grants me permission."

Richard quickly walked over to me and snatched the phone out of my hand. "Hello?...This is Nightwing, leader of the Teen Titans...I understand but, maybe you misheard her when she...listen, I'm already pissed off. Don't interrupt. Maybe you misheard her but, she said she was apart of the titans...I know. No thanks, I'm not interested. Bye." He offered the phone to me,"Here."

I kept my eyes towards the floor,"Thanks."

I could feel everyone's stares directed at me and I felt so out of place. I waited about two minutes before I heard a piece of her gum pop. _"Hello?"_ I heard the voice of my true friend. She sounded groggy and tired. I could picture her frizzy black hair. Her offering me a piece of gum and me declining.

"Hey, Donna."

I felt mistreated and alone in a circle full of superheroes and heroines. Donna, my real best friend in prison, was the only one I trusted in this group of heroes. I didn't belong here with this group any longer. What happened can't be repaired and I was fine with that. I was perfectly fine with not being apart of the Teen Titans and I was perfectly okay with Starfire dying and if you want something done, you do it yourself.


	3. Chapter 3

_You can kill anyone else within a snap of your fingertips. You just haven't done it because it's considered bad. If you kill someone, you're hurting everyone around you, the person of course, your mind and your eternal soul. But, what if you killed yourself? What if you killed yourself then lived again with your best bitch? Sure, it's bad, but you're doing it anyways. You just don't realize it yet._

* * *

 **Jump City Titans' Tower**

 **9:05 AM**

 _"Star? Oh my God! Kory, where the hell are you?"_

"I got released. They found out that I was innocent."

 _"Oh, that's amazing! Oh," I could hear her sobs on the other line._

"Donna," I sighed not knowing what to say,"How are you?"

 _"How am I? I'm fucking peachy! Dammit, Kory!"_

I sighed again. I heard her banging something against the counter top. Okay, not the best way to ask a crying lady in prison. "I'm sorry-"

 _"Just stop. Kory, you're the first one whose ever called me and asked how I was doing. Even though I'm obviously bawling my eyes out over here, you care. I'm just...Who's gonna play Uno against me now?"_

"Jenny's still there."

 _"Jinx? That cheating bitch! I looked at her hand and you know what she had in her hands? Huh? Draw fours! Seven of them! And she had the nerve to draw cards from the deck like she didn't have any to put down!"_

I laughed whole heartedly,"But if you looked at her hand, doesn't that mean you cheated as well?"

 _"Whatever. Hey, are you seriously at the tower?"_

"Yeah."

 _"They let you back on the team! Kory, that's great!"_

"No, well yes. I dunno. We didn't really bring it up plus, I don't really think I want to anymore."

 _"Okay, one: Shut the hell up! You were innocent! I'm innocent! They just have to open their damn eyes and-"_

"You're innocent too?"

"She's what?" Beastboy faced towards me from the couch. They paused they're video game and faced towards me. I looked up and noticed Barbra, Richard, Raven and Blackfire were gone and the Cyborg and Beastboy sat in the large recreation room in front of the large projector. There was a image of two cars on the paused screen.

Beastboy was definitely taller than the last time we were teammates and his green hair was still a dark shade of forest green. His eyes were a jade color and his ears seres till pointed back like an elf's. He seemed to never grow up and remained to be the joker of the group with his fanged tooth sticking out of his mout. He looked mature but acted the opposite.

"Do you mind?" I asked irritated. Beastboy shrugged his shoulders and continued playing with Cyborg.

 _"Uh, hello? Yeah, I mind. You're having another conversation with someone else and not your best bitch over here! Who the hell does she think she is?"_ She was still sniffling.

"It was actually one of the boys. They were eavesdropping and you're innocent?" I said quieter. I was practically whispering into the receiver.

She popped her gum loudly, _"Yes. I've told you this. I didn't kill him, I wasn't even on the same floor as him. I was in the lobby when he fell out of the window. What was so important that you weren't listening to me when I told you this? I swear you were sitting beside me and I was like-"_

"Don," I whispered carefully into the telephone,"Someone's framing us. They've got it all wrong. I'm coming down there."

 _"Kory, don't be stupid. What are you going to do when you get here with no evidence? No proof? Go be the goody-two-shoes you were meant to be."_

"No! I am not a goody-two-shoes! Listen, I have a plan."

I heard her swallow her saliva, _"I'm listening."_

"I'm gonna get you out of there one way or another. Donna, they want me to be in jail. They don't want me to be a Titan. They want me dead. I want me dead."

 _"Who the fuck is they? Kory, honey, calm down. Go lie down, I have to get ready to go anyways. I swear if you go all suicide on me-"_

"No! Wait! I'm not-no. It's just, things are just really bad right now. I have to get out of here, Don. I don't belong here and neither do you."

 _"Star, we're not even in the same place-"_

"Yes, we are! We've been in the same place for the same reason! I'm just-"

 _"Okay, I have to go. Go drink some water and go sit in the sun."_

"No! I'm not done! I'm just..afraid? I don't know! Dammit, Donna, I don't know," I choked on my sob. My voice cracked in result.

 _"I don't know either."_

I whispered softly,"I don't want to be here. Donna, I want to go home."

I felt childish and immature for saying that aloud. I felt immensely vulnerable. I looked up from the telephone cord and glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to the phone call. Butterflies swarmed through my stomach and the light from the sun was too bright. I supported my weight on the cold kitchen counter and tapped my fingernails against it.

 _"Me too."_

"I'm serious-"

 _"How are you, Kor?"_ She asked loudly which drowned my whispering out.

I muttered,"Fucking peachy."

 _"Amazing. I hear what you're saying and he's about to cut the line. I haven't even eaten breakfast. Ha, can you believe it? It's not even noon and you've got me crying all over you. Please call me later, babe. Maybe at three?"_

"Bye."

* * *

 **9:15 AM**

I didn't really have a room here as someone was currently occupying my old room. I couldn't tell of it was Barbra or Blackfire. When I had ended the call, I was still hungry. That one banana wasn't going to hold me off until noon but, I didn't want to eat. I've starved before and I could do it again.

I walked into the long hallways and made my way up the stairwell and into the exit. Donna was right. I needed some sunlight and fresh air. I was getting in and over my head.

I opened the door, thankfully it didn't require the code, and walked up the concrete steps. The door closed slowly and quietly behind me and I could hear my own footsteps on the ground from my combat boots. I sat down on one of the steps and gently removed my shoes. I untied all of the laces carefully and slid each one of them off and carried it in my hand. In my white socks, I continued up the staircase. My feet felt released and comfortable.

I forgot my long sleeved shirt on the sofa as I was only in my tank top. As I got to the top, I could hear the waves from the bay and feel the sun almost as well as I could hear the kissing noises and feel the betrayal.

There was Richard and Barbra, sitting on a red and white picnic blanket. I watched from the corner as they bit into their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The clouds were high in the sky and the sun was shining brightly. They held hands and pointed to the different shapes in the clouds.

"That one looks like Bruce," Babs said and took a bite.

Richard shook his head,"No, like a bunny."

She laughed and he smiled and my heart broke. If it's even possible for it to break any further. That was our thing. He and I sat on the roof and talked, ate, laughed. Now, it was different. I didn't like it.

And I knew he knew I was there. I mean, he's the great detective. Batman in training. He probably knew what Donna and I were talking about on the telephone. Hell, I would not be surprised if he knew that I didn't kill Jason.

I was not about to let them usher me into the dark again. Especially since I climbed up those set of stairs. I walked over to the edge of the tower and sat down. I let my legs dangle carelessly and a breeze ruffled through my locks.

"What's _she_ doing _here_?" I head Babs whisper to Richard. I could feel her glare on me. I smirked to myself and tried to desperately soak in the sun.

I folded my hands in my lap and closed my eyes. I miss how things used to be but, that's in the past. The past cannot be changed. The past is what brought me to this moment. It's what X'hal wanted and he also wanted me to die. Well that's what I wanted. I took a deep breath. When I opened them again I saw the bay and the grass. I didn't like what I saw.

What I wanted to see was Richard holding me in his strong arms. I wanted to see a buffet and Donna with her gum. I wouldn't mind if Babs actually fell off of the tower. But then again, I wouldn't mind if I fell off the tower. I could imagine the cold bay water on my skin, Richard panicking, me wanting to drown. Or suffocating. Suffocating might be better since I'm wearing socks. Wet socks are the worst and when my hair gets wet it's a curly mess.

I didn't want to shoot myself, I wanted it to last. If I was going to kill myself, I want to feel it. Not exactly suffer but just take the pain. I could drug myself but where was I going to get drugs? That isn't going to be a good image if I do drug myself and die. I can picture it now. The media all over me. Headlines saying how I did it because I didn't want to deal with the "pressure" when in actuality it was their bullshit.

I could imagine Donna leaving a hand-print on my cheek from me even thinking about this. Her frizzy black hair and her popping a piece of gum. It made me want to cry but that'd be weak of me. Rutha. I could always start off small. Nothing too extreme like cutting my wrists. That'd be simple just to sort of release a bit of pain. To really discipline myself and show myself how much I hate me.

"Hey, do you want a sandwich?" Richard asked awkwardly. He offered a friendly smile and held out the food.

I shook my head and tried to look innocent. Maybe he wouldn't know what I was thinking. I looked at Barbra's face and she frowned at me. "Not to be rude," She practically warned me it was going to be a very rude remark,"But, we're kinda having a moment. Do you mind?" Richard's head turned around to look at her. He was probably giving her the look. I stood up.

"Are you two dating?" The look in his eyes were so sad. He stayed silent and Babs answered for him.

"Absolutely, we've been at it for three years and four months!"

I covered up my surprised reaction and smiled. I granted them a quick congratulations before heading back to the exit. He scratched the back of his neck,"Star, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Babe," She whined and he winced. I wanted to laugh but then again I didn't.

"Only a sec," He reassured her and she kissed his lips.

She leaned into him and opened her mouth wider and I stood there like and idiot. I watched dumbly wishing that was me. She rubbed his chest and drew circles on his skin. I cleared my throat loudly. He pushed her off softly and stood up. He laughed sheepishly and walked us into the stairwell. It blocked the sun and the temperature was lower in this area.

I gasped as I found my back against the wall. As my mouth opened his tongue slid in and wrapped around my waist. I wanted to pull away but, his lips were so nice. His tongue was warm and I eagerly kissed him back. He smelled so nice. It was like a spice and it was addictive. It was feverish and contagious. He kissed my neck and I purposefully made a hickey on his. In a swift movement he felt my breasts.

"Well someone grew."

I thought of what Blackfire had said about my small brassiere. It made my stomach flip.

I sucked on his lip and he involuntarily groaned. I then remembered that Barbra was just around the corner. He had a girlfriend. He already was having sex with my elder sister and he was dating Babs for years. He was making out with me right around the corner. I felt bad and it felt good. It felt exciting to be rebellious and do things that were forbidden. He squeezed my ass and left his and there. I jumped and let go of his lips. Something wasn't right.

I knew he was Gotham's playboy but he was in Jump City. I wanted to scream for him to keep it in his pants but then he slid his hands into my pants. My underwear did not match my bra and I'm sure I'm wet. I am not prepared to move anywhere. I mean, I was just thinking about killing myself minutes ago!

I stopped kissing him. He'd have to choose me or her. He was taking advantage of me. He knew I loved him and he was getting what he wanted.

He stared at me intently and raised an eyebrow at me. He was purposefully making me wet and turned on. He leaned closer to me going in for another kiss and I couldn't bring myself to move away. I stayed frozen like a deer in headlights and slightly puckered my lips. He then moved to my ear instead leaving me confused and embarrassed. He sucked on my earlobe and kissed my temple.

He spoke with such sincerity in a low husky whisper that would've made any girl melt,"I love you."

"Fuck you," I spat and pushed him away. Any girl but me. Never had such words left my mouth in a harsh manner like that before. He pushed me back and shushed me. I squirmed from his hold which seems ridiculous considering I can lift this whole Tower with one hand. The word slipped out of my mouth and surprised me about as much as it did him.

"Kory, baby, I'm so sorry. I-Things are really bad right now but I love you. I've never stopped loving you. You have to understand that I'll never love anyone as much as I love you," He whispered. I looked in his eyes and I unwillingly believed him.

Tears welled in my eyes,"But-but if you love me why are you with her? Why are you sex pals with my sister? You should be with me!"

"Sex pals? Because you can't, I can't be with you. I just-you can't be my girl but I will always be your man."

I stared at him blankly,"What the hell's that supposed to mean? I can't love you but she can? What? You love me so much that you guys had to kick me out of the Titans? Fine!"

"Baby, no-"

"Don't baby me! Go back to fucking her and my sister you dick! Just stay away from me!"

My eyes flashed dangerously at him and I saw a moment of hurt in his features. He frowned deeply. I walked away angrily and I heard his footsteps echo the opposite direction. He didn't even _try_ to come after me. I opened the door aggressively. It didn't slam like I wanted it to which angered me even more. I stormed towards my room and the door wouldn't open. I keep forgetting that my handprint is logged out of the system. I keep forgetting I'm out of the team.

I felt terrible. My stomach felt nauseous from not eating anything and the butterflies were going crazy down there. I had to get out of here. I felt as if this place was going to blow up and only I knew it. I felt cold and exposed. I stormed into the common room where Beastboy, Cyborg, Raven and Bumblebee were sitting on the sofa, staring at the projector.

"You aright, girl? You don't look so well," Bumblebee asked uncertainly. I wanted to scream my head off. Like Donna said, I'm fucking peachy.

"I'm fine," I lied,"I'm just...I don't know." I finished my statement lamely.

"We could go shopping?" Raven suggested meekly.

"You hate shopping,"I stated.

"Just like you love hugs," She replied sarcastically.

"Fair enough."

Bumblebee stood up from between the boys and walked over to me. "So does this mean we're going on a spree?"

Raven got up and walked over to us. "I'm in, Kory?"

I shrugged,"It's not like I've got anything better to do."

She smiled and so did Bumblebee. Bee still had her beautiful dark chocolate skin tone and deep red lipstick on her luscious lips. Her puffy pigtails were no longer her signature hairstyle. Instead, Bumblebee wore a wavy pixie cut and long, dangly golden earrings. She smirked and her voice carried slang wherever it went. She seemed taller but it might've been the stilettos she had on almost everywhere.

Raven was still short and her lips were rather thin, chap and...quiet. Her emotions seemed to lighten up and her eyes seemed more sympathetic. She was my best girlfriend on the team and we would gossip about the other titan females. I used to be able to tell her anything. But I was now more dependent on Donna.

* * *

 **A/N: Last teaser chapter. I just wanter to update because I'm going to be offline for a little while on this story. The more reviews the happier I'll be. Until next time, loves!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: No depressing paragraph in this one. You're welcome. Please review for more.**

* * *

 **10:23 AM**

 **Jump City Mall**

Cyborg's car was in pristine condition. The leather seats had no crumbs in between them and I had the option of heating my seat. I leaned my chair back and rolled down my window. Everything was upgraded and new.

On the way there, we mostly sat in silence with the windows rolled down. I kept my arm hanging outside of the window feeling free and careless. I sat in the backseat and Raven drove since I didn't have my license and Bumblebee had to apply eyeliner. I truly didn't mind as they chatted nonchalantly about nothing in particular. Mostly about things that have happened in the past when I wasn't present. Bumblebee flipped through the stations on the radio for a catchy tune until Raven switched it off. It was only when we parked the T-car that I realized I had no money whatsoever. I remember all my savings being in my old apartment along with my other personal belongings. All gone.

Bumblebee invited Blackfire and Barbra, or Batgirl, to tag along with us. I mostly sat scrunched up in a ball and looked out of the window silently. Everyone was in their uniforms besides me and Blackfire. Bumblebee was wearing makeup and a new hairdo but in her uniform nevertheless.

Raven unlocked the vehicle doors and rolled up the windows before cutting the engine off. She quickly got out and waited for us. I unbuckled my seat-belt and tried to get my mind off of things. Raven was still in her cloak as I was still in my jail uniform. Bumblebee got out stuffing items into a purse I didn't even know she had. She looked more casual as we strolled into the mall. People gave us strange looks and pulled out their cellular devices to take photos.

Air conditioning greeted us immediately. More stares accompanied us which were ignored by the other girls. They were probably used to the unwanted attention. Bumblebee scrolled through her phone as we walked around, nowhere in particular. Raven basically drooled over the books in Barnes & Noble. Bumblebee refused to let us go in there until we had clothing. I'm guessing she was referring to me because I had nothing to wear except the clothes on my back.

We walked into Forever Twenty-One to look for some items there. Well, Bumblebee looked for some items there. On our way out we were going to drop by the bookstore for Raven's sake. I still looked on the shelves in the beautiful store. Jewelry, socks, jeans and nail-polish were everywhere. We compared how the clothing on the plastic creepy figures would look on us and who would where it best. This was, as Raven had said, not her type of store.

Blackfire and Barbra disappeared within my eyesight only after a few minutes upon entering.

"Ooh, girl, this would look fabulous on you!" Bumblebee squealed in delight. She pointed to a mannequin wearing a certain combination of clothing. She had a high black miniskirt with lace and a long-sleeved crop-top. A golden necklace was strung around the mannequin's neck. I shrugged and so did she. "Okay, not for you? I understand. Oh, but what about that one! That one's perfect!" She pointed to another mannequin modeling an outfit. This one was a white sundress with a brown belt in the middle. Yes, it was pretty, sure. But what was the point? I shrugged again.

She grabbed the dress from the hanger with the belt to go along with it,"You're trying this on. I didn't come here for you to shrug at everything. Let loose. You're not behind bars anymore!"

I just stared at her,"Do I have a choice?"

"No, now go," She ushered me into the dressing room. She threw the dress over the opening above the stall. I stripped down to my outmatching undergarments and looked over the dress. I grabbed it hesitantly and slid it on. I stepped into it a pulled it up over my figure. It was a bit tight going around my hips but squeezed my breasts together. The belt was loose around my stomach. I slowly walked out to find Bumblebee holding more items of clothing.

"I think I'm going to need a different size."

"Oh, no that's perfect! We just need a different belt for you. Here, take that off and I'll find your size. Try these on in the mean time," She handed me a handful of clothes some folded and some hung. I gathered them in my hands and with a huff closed the stall door.

I slid the dress off and threw it over the door. No doubt, Bumblebee fetched it and took the dress and belt away. I looked at the first outfit. It was a pair of ripped capris and a loose graphic T-shirt. I placed the items on the bench in front of the mirror. I stood up straight. Slowly, I looked over my reflection. It was the first time I looked myself over in years.

Blackfire was correct. I looked absolutely terrible. The others were just being polite. My hair was a fizzy mess. Saffron curls were static-like and puffy. My bangs were outgrown and pushed behind my earlobe. My brassiere was green and my panties were a pink. You could see my pubic hair tangled in there. I opened my underwear and found dried up period blood that wasn't completely washed out from the washing machines. I felt filthy. Yes, they allowed us to shower, of course, but I looked disgusting. My lips were chapped and there were bags underneath of my emerald eyes. I lifted up my wrists and the bruise was still there. My nails were uneven and blank.

I licked my dry lips.

What exactly was I doing here in this stall? I should be eating grits and playing Uno with Donna and Jenny. I should be staring inquisitively at Jolene as she puked her guts out and at the obese woman who shaved with a rusted razor. I was the one who apparently killed Jason. So why was I shopping with my former friends?

I felt sick and nauseous. AllI wanted to do was lie down and have Richard kiss me in his arms telling me everything was going to be fine. I sat down and placed my head in my hands. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. My hands started to shake uncontrollably.

"You almost done in there, girl?"

I didn't answer. She knocked again,"Star?...Kor, you alright?...I'm coming in."

I shook my head as if she could see me through the door. She crawled under the stall door and she gasped. I looked like a loser sitting here in my underwear. Bumblebee put a hand on my shoulder and kneeled on one knee. We were on the same level and she attempted to look at my eyes. I shook my head repeatedly.

"The outfits I picked out can't be that bad. What? What's wrong? Tell me," She probed gently. It was weird to hear her voice in a sympathetic manner. She rubbed a hand on my nearly bare back.

"...I didn't...do it..I promise...please,"I stuttered in between sobs. I let a couple of tears slide down my cheeks. I started breathing heavily and then she embraced me. It was kind of awkward when you're in your underwear but it was nice. The tears freely fell from my eyes onto her shoulder.

"I know you didn't," She muttered soothingly,"It's okay now."

"No..it's not."

She brushed the hair out of my face,"And why not?"

"Because it took you si-six years to figure that out! You-you didn't..believe in me! I didn't believe in me!"

She raised an eyebrow,"Sh, I don't understand what you're saying. But from one sister to another, I'm so damn sorry. I know you're going through some serious shit right now. I also know that sorry probably means nothing to you right now coming out of my mouth but, I truly mean it. I shouldn't have made you do this. I shouldn't have invited everyone. Sometimes I just get carried away. We can go home if you want?"

"Home?" I asked hopefully.

"The tower," She clarified slowly. I don't know what I was expecting but that wasn't it. I shook my head repeatedly.

Blackfire knocked on the door,"What's all the shit? You guys are literally so loud."

Bumblebee looked at me for permission to open the door. I shook my head and it was too late. Blackfire was on all fours, crawling through the bottom space of the stall. Her eyes widened as she saw my face. She frowned and stood up. Bumblebee stood up too and there were two sets of eyes glued to me. I felt powerless and stupid. I shouldn't be crying.

Tears were freely pouring down my cheeks. I felt like a crybaby. I was shaking and I felt my nose beginning to run. Blackfire stepped closer to me and embraced me tightly. It took me by surprise. I buried my face in her shoulder and bawled my eyes out. Her shirt was muffling my cries to the shoppers. I cried all of the years I could've cried. The years I should've been crying. All of the moments I've been holding crap in. I wrapped my arms and held onto my remaining family member. It felt...nice. Her neck was warm and she didn't say anything heartless, conniving or bitchy like she regularly does. Her hand rubbed around in a circle on my back.

Bumblebee let herself out, taking the clothes with her. I doubt she was putting them back. She was probably waiting outside, giving me and Blackfire a moment. Keeping watch. I was thankful for that.

"Sister, what's wrong?" She asked in a hoarse whisper. Her voice held no compassion whatsoever. It was as if she was merely curious. In all honesty, I didn't know the answer to her question. It seemed to be everyones question towards me. Everyone wanted to know if I was okay or how I've been. Wasn't it obvious? I'm dying inside.

I was mad at them for not believing me but I didn't even believe myself. They were just accepting what information was given to them. It wasn't all their fault.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

I was frantically rubbing at my eyes trying to wring out all of the forming tears. I snorted up my mucus and tried to calm down. I was still sniffling. My hands were still shaking. My lips were still dry.

"Well if you don't know then how am I supposed to know?"

"You're not."

"Is it him?"

I didn't answer. I knew exactly whom she was referring to but had no reply. I scratched at my sore wrists, knowing she was expecting me to respond. After about two minutes of silence she gave up. She roughly picked up my hands and tightly held them in her lap.

Blackfire sighed,"Koriand'r, you're making this much harder than it has to be. I'm sorry. I know you've went through a hell load of shit and half of that was 'cause of me but you don't see me begging for your forgiveness. So, I'm sorry. I really am, but you're in your underwear crying about a guy? Honey, we're talking about Dick Grayson here. Even if you would've gotten in a serious relationship your heart would've gotten crushed. I mean, crushed-"

"It _was_ serious and it _was_ crushed," I sniffed.

"You mean him telling you he loved you and only you? Star, he's doing that to Babs right now. He almost fucked me this morning, before you came. For X'hal's sake he did fuck a bunch of other girls in Gotham as the famous playboy he is. Even Batgirl knows this," Her tone was harsh and her grip on my hand got tighter. She sighed again, clearly not enjoying this older sister speech thing.

"All I'm saying is, if it was meant to be, it would've been. Now suck it up and throw a damn smile on your face! Stop making this about him. It's a celebration for your return and you actually look like shit right now. I wasn't joking, so we need to upgrade your wardrobe," She proclaimed as she stood up from the bench,"And if you do good, we can hit the club afterwards."

That made me smile a real smile. Not a wince, but a smile. The whole 'suck it up' thing worked. Maybe it was a celebration. No, it was a celebration. For me. She watched me smile and her own frown turned upside down. When she opened the stall door, I could see Bumblebee asking if I was okay. I was praying that Barbra wasn't right outside the door. Oh, that would be so embarrassing. Blackfire closed the door pretty quick so I didn't see any other recognizable faces. I tried not to worry so much.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I looked in the mirror once more before a knock was heard. I placed my hands over the door awaiting the articles of clothing Bumblebee and Blackfire wanted me to try on. I felt a small hand inside of my palm.

"Are you..okay?"

This same question again. "Sure I am," I told Raven. I wonder how she knows about this whole ordeal and she was supposedly waiting outside. "What are you doing in here?"

"Babs and Karen made me come in here. Try some stuff on. I sensed sadness, thought it was you."

"Karen?" I asked her.

"Bumblebee," She clarified,"Slip of the tongue."

"Is that-"

"Yeah, Kor. That's her name but don't say it to other people. This whole secret identity thing can get confusing."

"Here you go, girl," I heard Bumblebee's voice as she dumped a bigger load of clothing over the door. I desperately attempted to catch them all in my hands. Half of the clothes were the ones that were in here before mixed with new ones. There was that dress and brown belt, mini skirt, overalls, and a heap of jeans. I heard Raven laugh on the other side.

"Good luck in there."

* * *

 **4:47 PM**

 **Outback Grillhouse**

I tapped my manicured fingernails against the table. Us girls decided to eat a early dinner before heading out to The Warehouse, a nightclub and bar. I felt extremely better than earlier today and better than yesterday. I really caught up on a different level with the girls and we laughed. I wore the white dress Bumblebee, or Karen, had picked out for me. I also had another dozen of outfits in my shopping bag. My new flip flops felt immensely better than hot stuffy combat boots.

We stopped at one of the stands in the mall and the lady pressed my hair. The lady was taller than me with a long nose. She curled my red curls and tamed them into soft bouncy waves. No longer frizzy, it cascaded down my back and felt like silk. It reeked of oils and hair products. As we exited the mall of shopping we passed some fans of the Teen Titans who wanted autographs from us. Well, them. They sort of just gawked at me while the girls scribbled their signature on the pictures with sharpie. They took a picture of me as if I was a rare sighting or some endangered species.

Barbra had offered to pay with Richard's credit card and I thanked her. She seemed to lighten up a little bit. Offered me a hug and asked the same question everyone asks. It was her father who signed the papers with Batman. She apologized for the confusion and complimented me many times. I would've complimented her if I had something nice to say. She was very pretty and I could see how Richard loved her. Barbra had a bouncy, short hair cut that was curled at the ends. Flawless pale skin and plump pink, glossy lips. Her eyeliner wasn't too heavy or too light and she knew how to program almost any computer. She said that her and Cyborg once did that on a mission and I couldn't help but think if I was living in the tower as a titan I would've known how to program a computer. She was soon to be rich, being in a relationship with the seventh most richest person in the world. I didn't know if it was for show or if she was just being Babs. Raven was still rather apathetic as was Blackfire but they still smiled. I think for my sake rather than the want to. Bumblebee was sitting beside me.

The restaurant had dead animals crowded on the walls for decoration which I didn't enjoy too much. I asked Bumblebee about it and she said it was all fake. For the show. We still picked up quite a few stares from the people dining. I doubt Blackfire minded as she was the loudest one.

Our handsome, dark skinned, waiter took our orders and brought us some bread to munch on. I made myself comfortable in the cozy booth and paid attention to the conversation. My posture was different than those other times. I was perky and attentive. I'm not exactly sure if I prefer this side of me better but, it was good. The bread he brought us we warm and delicious. Much better than gruel and soup with squishy sweet peas.

In jail, we still had our share of recreation, making license plates and of course, lunch. You dump your spoons in the sink when leaving the cafeteria. Then, it would be time for lock-down. You would be placed behind bars to do it all over again. It was a cycle. Sometimes you'd get rewarded by getting chewing gum or getting a deck of cards to play with. Donna was almost addicted to that chewing gum and she'd do almost anything to get it. It was normal for us, though. If you needed a pad or tampon, you'd go up to the general. If you needed new sheets, you'd visit the general. And you did not want to ram heads with the general.

I actually ended up thrown in prison before Donna did. We were rather acquaintances than friends when I was a titan. This was mainly because she spent most of her heroine moments with the young justice league for Wonder Woman. She was also one of the first superheroes to become romantically involved with a human. When I was accused of murder they were engaged and a year later she ended up behind bars.

She's my best friend. The only one I could trust through the hard times. Of course, Jinx came along. A villain whom I battled many times with the H.I.V.E during my participation with my former teammates. She's never told us how she got thrown in jail or why she didn't use her powers to simply escape. Donna has told me the story. It's kind of hard to believe that she forcefully pushed her husband out of the window to their penthouse for irritating her from popping a piece of bubblegum.

"You sure you okay, girl?" Bumblebee whispered.

I quickly snapped out of my thoughts about jail. I wasn't in jail anymore. I should be happy. I realized I was holding a piece of bread and bit into it. It was crunchy and flaky. The noise from my food caused for the attention to turn on me. I shrunk down and tried to eat more quieter. He later came back with drinks. Nothing containing alcohol yet, simple fountain drinks. He handed out coasters and straws before pulling out a notepad.

"Good evening, ladies. What brings you all the way on this side of town?"

Blackfire scoffed and stated sarcastically,"I dunno. To eat maybe?"

Raven chuckled but replied to the waiter,"Don't worry about her. She's just hungry. We thought we'd celebrate having our member back on the team."

Everyone's eyes turned to me and I took a bite out of the bread. The waiter smiled at me and I just waved. He said congrats and asked what we'd like to eat.

"Finally," Blackfire sighed,"I would like your steak with a side of broccoli and a baked potato."

"Of course, and how would-"

"-Medium well," She cut him off.

Barbra spoke up,"I'd like to have your fish tacos with sweet potato fries, please."

He continued to scribble as Bumblebee spoke,"And I want your mushroom burger with no pickles and cheese please and thank you."

"How would you like your burger cooked?"

"Rare."

I went next,"Can I get your nacho supreme with jalapeños, sour cream, cheese and ground beef."

He nodded and then Raven said quietly,"I would like your French and onion soup, please."

He walked away to tell the chefs our orders. When he was out of hearing distance Bumblebee exclaimed,"Damn he is fine."

"He's cute," Blackfire added.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Raven asked her.

Bumblebee snickered,"Are you telling me that Sparky hasn't ogled over Jinx and that Jenny girl? He's a guy!"

I was confused but didn't say anything. I know Jinx and I know her real name too. So doesn't that mean that Jenny and Jinx are the same person? All of this secret identity stuff is highly confusing and complicated. Raven shrugged and sipped her water. We sat in silence as Blackfire and Barbra scrolled through their phones, Bumblebee was staring at one of the sporting event on television and Raven seemed to pull a book out of nowhere. I sort of just twiddled my thumbs and waited for our food to arrive. I'd sip my soda, watch the television then look at my hands. After about five minutes of boredom, I attempted to start conversation.

"So," I cleared my throat,"What have you guys been up to?"

Blackfire looked up from her phone and Raven glanced at her from behind the book. The two girls smiled at me. I smiled back at them and tried to get the other two to pay attention and contribute to the starting conversation.

"Nothing majorly exciting. I mean, Dick had a birthday about a week ago," Blackfire muttered.

"What? That _is_ exciting," I said to her.

She shrugged,"I guess. We just went to the bar and he practically got laid." Realization dawned upon my sister after the words left her mouth. She looked at me and frowned. Barbra's head shot up and she looked at me then Blackfire.

"Oh yeah, I remember now. And Wally was being hit on by a guy."

All four of them laughed at them memory that I didn't experience. "Wait a minute, did you say he got laid? But aren't you two dating?"

"Yeah,for years now," She said rather defensively,"He just got drunk, had fun, you know?"

I looked at Blackfire and we both knew he was cheating on her. But she already knew this. I could tell that Babs wasn't comfortable about this subject. Blackfire must've known too because she changed the subject.

"So Kory, I heard your birthday is coming up," Blackfire said calmly. I glared at her for bringing that up. She didn't hear it from anywhere, she knew it. Bumblebee squealed and Raven smirked at me.

"When?" Babs asked me.

"April 15th," I muttered. "When's yours?"

All of a sudden we discussed when we were born. I already knew Blackfire was born on the Earthly month of January, Bumblebee said July, Raven said November and Barbra was born in October. It was fascinating to know.

A short time later, the waiter brought us our foods and such. We ate in peace. Everyone was either on their phone, watching the television or reading. My nachos were delicious and I ate one after the other. So many choices. So many options. I could dip it in salsa, scrap up the cheese, place jalapeños on my chip. It was great.

We ate in comfortable silence. I licked my lips bite after bite, scoop after scoop. So many flavors I forgot. He refiled our drinks and Raven excused herself to the restroom. Before I knew it, my plate was empty. The only remains were chunks of salsa and tiny pieces of cheese that weren't on the chips. I patiently waited until everyone was finished. As I was drinking my Sprite, loud clapping was heard coming towards our table. I looked up alarmed at the noise. Raven sat back down and started clapping along with the staff. Blackfire, Bumblebee and Barbra joined in and they dropped the ice-cream cake on my section of the table.

They sung in unison,"Happy, happy birthday! May all your dreams come true! Happy, happy birthday! From Outback just for you! Hey!"

They repeated the song about three times before cheers filled the restaurant. I blushed in surprise and at the attention. I quickly blew out the candle and the girls helped me eat all of my cake. It wasn't even my actual birthday and they sung. They gave us a discount, other than the one they gave us for being apart of the titans, and our meal ended up being fourteen dollars and some cents.

Someone actually asked me for an autograph and I gladly signed their napkin and took a picture with them. We all exited Outback with absolutely no food leftover. We piled into the T-car and Raven was behind the wheel again. Bumblebee's phone rang and she picked it up.

"Hey, babe...I told you we were going out," Bumblebee turned to us three in the backseat,"Did anyone bring their communicator?"

I had a pass because they took mine away. Apparently, Blackfire and Babs left theirs. Raven raised a hand before settling it back around the wheel. "Why?" She asked.

"Yeah why?" Bumble asked into her cell phone,"Why didn't you call me before...I know what time it is...Be there in an hour...Love you."

"Why'd Vic call?" Babs asked Bumblebee.

"Vic?" I asked. Must have been another identity I didn't know about. They ignored my question.

"He said a few members from the Justice League are there and they want to talk to the team."

Raven pressed down on the gas pedal with more force and the speed limit was sixty-five. We were going seventy-seven.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: To all my viewers to my other stories,"Wassup. I have the docs but I'm trying to start a cycle where I update one story every week. If there's enough reviews on one story, I'll update. But, for example, High School Life has had the same number of reviews so I'm holding off. Sure, follows are nice but I would strongly like to hear you opinion. I'm updating this one in particular because I've gotten 17 reviews in 5 chapters. I have the same number of reviews for Remember Not to Forget (about me) and I have 8 chapters there. [Although, that one is the most fun to write ;)]"_**

 ** _Okay, I think that's it. Until next time, loves!_**

* * *

 _She's supposed to be my enemy. I'm supposed to hate her with all I have. I'm naturally supposed to hate her guts. I even hate the way her name rolls off of my tongue but I say it everyday in my head and aloud. She's done everything to me. She's everything I want to be. She's living my life and I feel like I'm choking. And I want to die. She's beautiful, smart and funny. Understands everything without question. And here I am, confused and struggling to breathe._

* * *

 _"What are you doing?"_

 _"Sh, keep quiet."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Sh."_

 _"You said not to follow-"_

 _"You were saying?"_

 _"You just-"_

 _"I know."_

 _"Do it again."_

 _"With pleasure."_

 _"You broke rule number one. But I'm into the bad boys as they say."_

* * *

 **7:36 pm**

 **Titans' Tower**

We all packed into the elevator and awaited the ding noise that followed shortly after. I gripped my shopping bags tightly and fiddled around with my new dress. We didn't get to go clubbing as we planned and it was a slight disappointment. Blackfire had even made it a reward, saying if I put a big enough smile on my face we could go. I guess I wasn't that believable.

The elevator seemed to be going slower than usual. It seemed to be hotter in here too. I didn't want to sweat out my new curls or the light makeup the girls had me try on. When we stopped rising, the doors slid open slowly. You could tell they were waiting just for us.

The stood in a semicircle around the elevator. We walked out slowly and were surrounded by them. They didn't look at all pleased and held such seriousness. Bumblebee and Raven stepped up in front. I then looked around to see Beastboy and Cyborg standing in front of the couch and the PlayStation was sitting on the counter. Unhooked from the projector. They looked upset and Bumblebee rushed over to Cyborg. They hugged and whispered among themselves.

Barbra was next to step forward, probably in search of Dick. There was Black Canary, Green Lantern and of course Batman. They were also accompanied with Commissioner Gordon. Barbra gave him a hug and whispered her greetings. I've seen them all before just not up close. Richard was in his uniform and it looked fantastic on him. It hugged every muscle just right. It was black and blue, like his personality, with a mask the covered his amazing blue eyes. He frowned at me.

Green Lantern and I were very close friends. I am not so sure what we are now, but he's smiling. Hal is smiling and he winked, a playful gesture, and stifled laughter. I smiled back at him, of course, but I didn't really want to. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I'm having a mental break down or something. He was my friend and I should be happy for his visit but I wasn't.

"Where have you guys been?" Nightwing asked. He was extremely serious and apart of me liked that about him.

"Dick, we just _had_ to go shopping for Star. She had nothing to wear-"

"-Yeah and it was a celebration. For her return and birthday." Bee included.

Green Lantern started,"Well, happy birthday-"

"It actually isn't my birthday today," I shrugged it off nonchalantly.

"But it _is_ coming up," Bee reassured them.

"Birthday or not you need to be reachable. This was highly unprofessional and you could've been put in danger. Starfire, we are glad you have returned and happy to wish you an early birthday. Next time, please give coordinates," Black Canary said calmly. She had blonde hair and blue eyes with a tough look.

Raven nodded and muttered,"Okay, it won't happen again."

I do remember being apart of the team and Raven saying she didn't like the Justice League or what they were trying to do. She had claimed when Trigon had appeared they had done nothing to help her whatsoever. They won't give her the address to Mount Justice and she said they also wouldn't let her join. They seemed fairly normal for superheroes.

"Birthday or no birthday, I want to formally apologize. We should've collected more information before arresting you. I suppose we were too caught up in emotions and pointed fingers far too soon," His voice was soft and raspy. He stopped talking and looked at me. Mr. Gordon was dressed in a suit and tie with circle frames. His mustache looked bushy and unkept.

I simply shrugged again. I didn't feel like talking.

Beastboy then smiled,"I bet you didn't even know about the burglary, huh?"

"Of course we don't. And Raven had her communicator so you could've contacted us then," Blackfire said.

He snorted,"Yeah, well, we didn't need back up. I basically got the job done with my bare my hands. I mean, Cy here kicked some serious butt too but, it was mainly a distraction." We waited in silence for him to finish explaining. "So, we were punching 'em left and right. Crates being smashed, handcuffs being used, everything going as planned. Then, out of the blue, this old man...like Luke or something-"

"Nuke," Batman cut him off annoyed,"A man called Nuke is somehow linked with a gang of criminals that were using the burglary to distract them. They've managed to steal a couple hundred bucks however they managed to capture three. Those three refuse to speak in our language and are in a holding cell with Zatana and Superboy. Anyways, that's not why we're here."

Nightwing looked up,"It's not?"

"No."

"How so?"

"Starfire," He addressed me.

I looked at him.

"You're going to be coming with us to Mount Justice-"

"Woah, I've never been there before," Cyborg said in awe,"The tech must be so-"

"Yeah, and Titans' East can watch the city while we're gone," Beastboy said excitingly.

"Alone," He finished subtly. "I suggest you pack an overnight bag. We're leaving now."

"What?" Nightwing asked abruptly. "She just came here today."

"And she'll be back. We just need to go through some files. What?"

I didn't like how everything was made up for me without my decision. At all.

"Why can't I come?"

"Who's going to look after your team. Dick, it's not up for discussion. Come on, I have to beat traffic," He walked me back into the elevator doors. They looked disappointed to watch me leave. Richard looked more upset than the rest of them. He stepped up and gave me a hug.

I could tell this surprised everyone, it surprised me too as Babs herself gasped. He held me like I was going to disappear. I swear I thought I heard him sniff my hair. Like he was remembering my scent. The others also walked up to embrace me. I was squeezed shortly by all, willingly or mandatorily, and went back into the elevator.

I turned around and Batman's frown lifted up a few centimeters.

* * *

 **9:00 PM**

 **Mount Justice**

We flew, Batman drove. I actually arrived here at eight thirty but had no idea how to get in. Green Lantern laughed and Black Canary just smiled. They walked me into the hidden way to the side where it resembled a garage.

There was a large red vehicle of some sort. I was uncertain. The lights were off and it was quiet. I kept my guard up, although it was never down, and scanned my surroundings. We walked up the ramp and the large doors shut.

"So princess," Green Lantern smiled at me,"How've you been?"

I glanced at him, following Black Canary,"Nothing in particular. You can't do much in prison."

"No, not like that. I mean like, how've you been. Just you as in yourself."

I raised an eyebrow,"Fine, I guess."

He sighed,"Wrong answer sweet heart."

I was going to ask him what exactly did he want me to say. Black Canary had beat me to speaking,"Alrighty," I hadn't even noticed we were outside of a door. "We're kind of full on rooms at the moment but this was urgent," She was whispering lightly,"You'll be sharing with M'gann tonight."

I nodded. She continued,"We don't stay here so we'll be heading out soon but I'll be back bright and early for our session. Normally, we have a ton of rooms but more and more people don't have anywhere to go. So, there's food in the kitchen and you seem to have clothes so great."

"What do you mean session?"

"You'll see tomorrow Kory. Goodnight now."

I looked up at him and he looked older than before. Not the young, witty pal of mine but now..I don't know. Everyone's just sort of maturing and I'm still shrugging my shoulders for everything. He pecked my left cheek like a father and walked down the hallway with her.

I've heard about M'gann. She and Superboy were shipped by everyone. Like Donna and her husband, they were one of the first to break hero rule number one. I've only actually seen her once and that was when Beastboy showed me pictures of her in a mini scrapbook. I never knew why she was in his private scrapbook but, I never asked.

I recall her having neck length red hair, like Babs. Green skin, like Beastboy's. And for a short while after seeing the photo, I thought they were related which was rather dumb of me now. I don't know what her power is but she was smiling in the picture. And people, and aliens, smile in pictures all the time. But she seemed bubbly and ecstatic, like I used to be. However, when I opened the door I nearly dropped all of my bags.

She was sitting up in her pajamas, staring at me.

Pictures are moments of the past. She looked nothing like she used to. She looked dead. I didn't want to take my eyes off her in fear of being attacked or something. I closed the door behind me and put my shopping bags down. Her hairs was shorter than Bumblebee's. She frowned at me. I was hoping that she couldn't read minds like Raven, then she'd know what a creep I thought she was.

I just cleared my throat and shuffled some items in my bag. It wasn't a suitcase so it wasn't organized. Tags here and there with a receipt at the bottom. I could feel her watching me as I grabbed my new pajamas out of the bag. I picked up some gray shorts covered in polkadots with a matching purple shirt and a razor to take with me into the shower. I also grabbed underwear and a training bra.

I shuffled to the restroom without looking back. I turned on the water and tied up my pressed hair. I feared wetting it because then it'd frizz and curl back into it's natural state. Then, for my sake of mind, I locked the door. There was one bed and I'd have to face her sooner or later but, that stare she was giving me made me alert. I stepped nakedly into the shower, alone for once, and relaxed.

I urinated and it felt great. I shaved everywhere. Armpits, legs, everything. I even hummed an old hymn. I scrubbed at my wrist hard and you could barely tell there were bruises there. My starbolts should be fine now. Drowning didn't seem like a good idea anymore. My fingers would wrinkle and I'd go into a bad shock. I'd drown in horrific lies.

I let my mind wander everywhere. It drifted off my brain and bounced against the tiles. I smiled. It felt great. Contemplating on life's mysteries and sorting out random conspiracies was much better than having anxiety on my life. I wrapped a towel around myself and cut the water off. I made sure to rinse out my body hair and threw the disposable razor away.

I moisturized slowly and slipped my pajamas on. I opened the door slowly and steam leaked out. My eyes drifted to M'gann who was lying on the right side of the bed. I put my previous clothing back into the shopping bag and pulled back the covers. My old bed was a twin size bed, this bed was a queen. There was plenty of space between us yet I scooted towards the edge.

She shifted a bit, I expected her to say something. I anticipated and planned out what she was going to say. She was probably going to ask how I was. The usual. Or maybe ask me to pass her more covers. But she didn't. I felt her cold feet touch mine underneath of the covers and moved them away. I let them dangle over the bed. I didn't feel safe closing my eyes yet.

Her back was faced towards me. How did I know if she was sleeping or not? She probably wasn't. I put pressure on my hands as I lifted myself up. As I prompted myself up on my hands, the bed made a creaking noise and I froze. When it was steady, I peeked my eyes over to her face. She looked like she would suffocate. Her head was buried in the two pillows she was using. I leaned over a tad bit more for my own comfort to see if she was breathing. Then I saw it.

There were tear stains in her pillow. Sure, a drool stain was there too, but mostly little wet drops soaked in her pillow. She had that crust in her eye and that snot you get from crying. I slowly laid back down. She was asleep for sure. She cried herself to sleep.

It was safe to close my eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: I hope everyone had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo. This is one of the long chapters. This is basically Star's first mission and her trying to get back on her feet. The next story I will update is Remember Not To Forget (about me), my favorite, and maybe High School Life. Please review for more. Until next time, loves!_**

* * *

 _Sniffle, shudder, struggle. I twist and turn under the cool sheets. My face was heating up as I felt the sweat. I felt her foot and it calmed me down. My pillow was soaked oh too many times. I sat up frantically with wavering breaths. My breath was shaky and I sniffled. She sat up too but not as fast, not as frantic. She asked if I had a bad dream. I shook my head. No, not at all. Not bad at all._

* * *

 **3:32 AM**

 **Mount Justice**

"Starfire," she said as she shook my shoulder.

I hummed in response. I opened my eyes at her. She was standing up on my side of the bed. I looked up groggily at her. I had another terrible headache. She was dressed in her uniform, it was all black with a blue cape hung loosely around her shoulders. There was a coldness when I stood up and knocked the covers off of me.

Her eyes were still wide and she looked oddly possessed. I looked at her with confusion. She spoke in fragments,"Alarm sounded...Dress in this...Black Canary said so...Follow me."

She handed me an all black suit. It was a pair of comfortable shorts, a shirt that only exposed my bellybutton and gloves. They were similar to my old ones but not the same. The shirt was long-sleeved which was to probably hide my bright orange skin tone but now, for some odd reason my skin was pale. I needed more exposure to the sunlight. I could tell it wasn't healthy.

I changed right then and there. There wasn't any time to be modest. Normal people would've turned around or shooed me to the restroom but she just looked down. When I was slipping on my knee-high boots looked up,"Ready?"

I nodded and followed her out of the door. We went back down the hall which was bright. I saw things I didn't see when I first entered. Sure, the walls were blank but, I didn't notice how there was a large projector hanging in the room. It was a humongous projected screen on flat glass. The air was cold and windowless. The floors were glassy and shiny as the heels from my boots clicked when I walked.

Three other heroes were there when M'gann and I entered. Superboy, Artemis and..Speedy. I guess we were tardy, sue me. And up on the screen was Batman himself. He wore a frown and the mood in the room was depressing. As soon as he saw us enter he fired away instructions, coordinates with minor details on the criminal.

"Arkham Warehouse 112 on Hudson Boulevard. Zatanna did not come back from her mission. You need to check the area without making a scene and without leaving evidence. There's also a Bank of America approximately two kilometers southwest away from the accident currently being robbed. You'll be split into two teams. Red Arrow, Artemis and Starfire. You all will go to the Bank of America without causing a scene. M'gann and Superboy, you're partners to find Zatanna. Dismissed."

The computer screen flickered off harshly leaving no time for questions nor complaints. Which was very unfortunate because I had a ton of questions. Who was robbing the bank? What was Zatanna doing there at four in the morning? How come Batman and the Justice League weren't going to save the day? When did Speedy change his name?

It was obvious that M'gann was unhappy about being paired up with Superboy alone. Of course it was going to be awkward for them. I followed the crowd as the ran out into the huge red vehicle that I saw earlier. We quickly piled in and buckled up. The doors opened and we were in the air. M'gann was driving and it was dead silent in the ship or whatever. I felt sympathy for her after I saw those teardrops on her pillow.

It took less than ten minutes before M'gann said,"I'm going to drop you off in-in the alley. Stealth mode on. Setting telepathic link. Releasing bottom doors."

Speedy, or Red Arrow stood along with Artemis as they fell out of the ship. I hurriedly jumped out too, not bothering to question my emotions. When I turned my head around, I couldn't see the hip. It must've been invisible which is really cool. There wasn't a direct plan. We just instinctively headed towards the roof. I flew, thinking about Richard's hug, but still landed roughly. Artemis and Red Arrow both shot up and arrow and climbed the rope that followed it.

The sky was still dark with an invisible moon somewhere. My emerald eyes scanned the area up and down, left and right. My eyes fell upon Red Arrow who nodded at me. I didn't know what he was trying to signal me. I raised an eyebrow and he frowned. I must've been missing something. Maybe it was some Earth tradition I still haven't mastered. Great, now I was going to look like an idiot.

I slapped a hand to my head. I was officially losing my marbles. _"Can you hear me now, Star?"_

 _"How are you doing that?"_ I mouthed the words but heard them in my head. He stifled his laughter before becoming serious again.

 _"Same way you're doing it. Telepathic link. M'gann set it up for us."_

I just nodded. I didn't want to say something to make him laugh and embarrass myself again.

 _"Would you two stop fooling around,"_ I head Artemis' light raspy voice. I turned to see her take out another arrow and hold it in position.

 _"What? We were just waiting for you."_

She rolled her eyes. _"Whatever. Nightwing's not here so we can't hack into the system. We can't just blow up the place and catch the criminals or else Batman'll kill us."_

 _"So, how about in from the roof and scope out the crime scene from the send level and make our way down to the first level?"_ He asked.

 _"Well, it's the only plan we've got. Split up and when you find the thief, send_ _coordinates. And wait for directions!"_

I nodded silently. There were five main openings from the roof if you broke the lock and we only had three to choose from. Artemis dove into one randomly without hesitation. Red Arrow gave me a thumbs up that should've been accompanied with a smile and slid down one of the ladders. I decided on going the easier way down, the spiral staircase. It was thin and narrow. I walked carefully, placing one foot after the other. Going too fast around a certain twist was sure to make you feel dizzy.

You could feel the temperature change inside of the building. I personally think that it's very unintelligent to leave five unguarded openings for a bank. Anyone could climb the roof, despite the security cameras, and rob this place. It was dark of course, with only a dim light coming from the first floor. It wasn't dead quiet. There was a humming noise from the air conditioner and hushed voices also coming from downstairs. There was another staircase, not spiraling, and an elevator. Well, I couldn't take the elevator as my location would be obvious.

I decided, since I didn't want to risk flying and crashing, so I carefully walked down and hid behind the four ATMs near the wall. It was closer to the staircase than the thieves but you could still see their figure. I peeked out of the space and tried to get a good look at their faces. They were whispering questions to each other like 'When are they supposed to get here,' and 'How come he gets the cool part?' I didn't understand anything they were saying or referring to so I analyzed their faces.

They both were males; Caucasian. The one on the left had dark brown mustache and the other one had shiny silver piercings all over his face. It was difficult to analyze their eye color and face structure from such a distance. I mostly just waited for Red Arrow and Artemis to send me more instructions and describe further details of our plan. I was waiting for M'gann to send me a telepathic link that her and Superboy found Zatanna. But they didn't.

No one did what I expected them to do and this was by far the most boring and unclear mission I've been on.

The two men were just talking. Talking! They didn't have any bags full of money,they weren't wearing masks and the security cameras were still enabled. They didn't really make an attempt to properly rob a bank. For the most part, they were armed with a weapon; mainly a gun. Nothing exciting, nothing to worry about. I just had to remain in the shadows and not cause attention.

Which, might I add, should be super easy because I had nothing to do that would cause attention towards me.

I just sat there, behind the ATMs, and waited for nothing. Who knows where my other partners are? I just fiddled with my uniform and picked underneath of my manicured fingernails. I ought to be at the tower but I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to. It seemed that I only wanted to be places when I wasn't there. Like jail. I wanted to get out of jail and now all I miss is the Uno card game and Jinx cheating. Sure, I've always wanted to work with this team but, I didn't realize it just meant sitting around on my ass waiting for directions.

 _"I have the criminals within my path of vision. Would you like me to attack or send you coordinates?"_

No response.

I repeated my question over the telepathic link but to no avail. I just sent coordinates in case there was a connection error or something. It seemed as if Artemis and Red Arrow didn't even come down to the first level yet. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach and I had a terrible feeling in my gut. Something probably urgent happened. I hate to assume but they would've informed me in some way.

I glanced around my secret area anxiously.

I jumped back as we bumped heads. I looked up and my back hit the wall behind me. He reached out and placed two hands on my shoulders to keep from making a loud noise. My starbolts wouldn't light and I didn't particularly want them to. If they did, I'd blow our cover. Not to worry as they were still chatting away about how unfair their cut was. I couldn't turn away. I could just see his smirk underneath of that thing and they infuriated me.

I stared at him. Maybe if I didn't say anything, he wouldn't say anything because X'hal knows if he does our cover is blown. He reached up to his face to pull the up over his mouth. I was correct. He was smirking like an idiot. His pale skin flawless and my eyes were drawn to his mouth. His skin looked so pale compared to the black and red suit.

He put a finger to his lips as he whispered to me,"It's been awhile, cutie."

His voice was so husky and deep. Much better, in my opinion, than the way his voice was masked before. I could probably listen to him talk about himself all day. I wondered what his hair color was, or is he had dimples or not. If his eyes were grey or blue. What if they changed colors? Or what about a light hazel? Even a nice chestnut brown would be a beautiful eye color.

I nodded. He just smiled. I could imagine a smoking hot eyebrow being raised above one of his eyes. The color was the thing bothering me. I wanted to see his eyes so bad I momentarily forgot about my mission. Oh yeah, I was supposed to sit here and wait for some damn instructions.

He squeezed my hand and I pulled away. His hand was firmly wrapped around mine with no intention of letting go. I frowned at him, not wanting to use my starbolts. The whispering between the two men faded and the temperature changed. It was once air conditioned and now it was warm.

We were outside.

He teleported us outdoors. We were on the roof to the building on the left; A Walgreen's. I looked at him questionably and he hugged me. The same way Richard hugged me. I shouldn't be comparing the two. And I definitely shouldn't be thinking about anyone this way. The only difference between the two embraces is that I was on the ground and he was basically crushing my ribs. Richard's hug was much more comfortable.

I squirmed from underneath him,"X, get off of me!"

His cape covered my face and I was struggling to breath. I felt a burning in my hands and released the energy. It shot towards the sky and I felt him flexing his muscles to hole my arms above my head. I was actually curious to see what he was going to do. So I chose not to use my super strength as to throw him off of the building. It was sort of exciting.

"Would you just relax and get down?"

 _"Shit!"_ I heard the loud voice of someone else exclaim in my ear.

However, I was not exciting to choke and suffocate. All the more reason for me to not kill myself in such manners. His words did not relax me and the explosion didn't either.

I could smell thick clouds of smoke and when he removed the article of clothing from my face I inhaled. The air wasn't fresh and didn't help at all. I looked at him and I could still see his mouth. I looked over to the bank where the building collapsed. There was no sign of the two guys or my partners. The butterflies returned.

He wasn't hugging me, I was so stupid, he was shielding me from the explosion. That's why he teleported us out of the building. That was why he was on top of me. He wasn't pulling a move. His mask was probably rolled up for oxygen reasons, not because he wanted to kiss me. I felt like such an idiot.

"Star? Are you okay?"

I turned around so quick that my hair flew in his face. Red Arrow and Artemis were standing next to Red X with the two civilians handcuffed on the ground. Zatanna and Artemis were talking about evidence and the villain. Red Arrow, Superboy and M'gann looked at me concerned. X'hal, I'm such an idiot.

But he did before he pulled his mask down. He gave me a wet smooch on my cheek before giving me a two fingered salute.

* * *

 **4:46 AM**

 **Arkham**

We were waiting for the police and firetrucks to arrive on the curb. Red X had teleported somewhere but I was still antsy. Richard was so obsessed with finding Red X and Slade; All villains. He planned on capturing them and locking them behind bars for the greater good. And here I was, with the Young Justice team, and their backs were turned. It was like they trusted him.

Did I trust him? I was so unsure. I trusted my team once and they thought I was guilty. For six years! I trusted Richard once, and now he's with Babs! It would not be a false statement to say I have trust issues and you can't blame me for having them either. You'd think being a heroine means earning everyone's trust, absolutely not.

Red Arrow was mainly on his iPhone, browsing through his apps. Artemis was picking at her boots. The two men were handcuffed both at the wrists and ankles while they chatted away still. They claimed that they knew a guy, that they knew their rights and that they thought Artemis and I were hot.

"So, you're not a psychopath murderer? I knew that couldn't be right," Zatanna asked. I wanted to say if she knew it wasn't true why didn't she say something? Boycott? So many things could've been done better. Instead, I bit my tongue and shrugged.

I just hoped that no one would ask the same stupid question to me.

Artemis spoke up about the situation,"Yeah, I always wondered what really happened. You're okay now, right?"

Nope, it was asked. No. Absolutely not. I'm still trying to fully recover from something I should've gotten over years ago. "Yeah."

She nodded,"Good. It's great to have you back."

I was such a lier. I was also still confused about the whole thing. How they managed to pull it all off in the blink of an eye. This was not at all how things would've ran at the other team. There was no telepathic link, I don't even know if Raven has that ability, there were communicators.

I heard sirens in the distance; Two kinds, though one in the same. I stood up and waited with them for them to extinguish the bank and arrest the two men. They stood up too as the police car parked right in front of us. An African American man walked out with two sets of handcuffs. He nodded, acknowledging us, and arrested the two.. He pulled them in his car as hoses of water were taken out of the fire trucks.

Because of such smoke, we decided to head back to the place. I say place because Red X couldn't know where the secret location was, that'd be a disaster.

"Oh man," Zatanna said,"Batman's gonna kill us!"

Artemis groaned,"And just think of all the money that was burned. Oh, we're so dead."

Red Arrow said as we piled into the ship,"They were gossiping like teenage girls. What a stupid mission. Idiots."

"Yeah I mean besides," Superboy asked,"Who would even think about robbing a bank at three in the morning? Why not three in the afternoon? Maybe they were idiots."

Then it hit me. I gasped,"Can I use one of you guys' phone, please?"

Red Arrow who had just had his out handed it to me. He raised an eyebrow but they didn't ask any questions. It rung forever before an automatic voice spoke, _"I'm sorry but, your call could not be answered. Please make sure that you're in range and that you know that visiting hours are from seven am to three. Thank_ you."

I have two more hours before I can call her. Oh, Donna was going to murder me. And I actually meant it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Wassup, I know I said I was going to do the other story first but this story is already finished. So I thought, hey, why don't I finish this off first? So, yeah, that's what I plan to do.**

 **Eh, I'm not feeling a depressing paragraph in this one. The end of this chapter is sad enough. Oh and I have a spoiler, Dick won't always be dick. Hopefully.**

 **Please Review, Favorite and Follow for more. I'm aiming for ten to continue! Until next time loves!**

* * *

 _Dick kissed her shoulder softly and_ _caressed her cheek. They had chose to spend their entire lazy Sunday at her apartment. He was more than okay with watching her sleep in his shirt or with taking a relaxing shower. Her showing him how to wash her hair._

 _"I can't believe you actually flirted with him. Now, you're going to get it."_

 _Starfire blinked innocently at him and smiled,"I am sure I do not know what you mean. Oh, you mean Mr. Harper? Please, you deserve it! After all, you were doing the flirting with Barbra."_

 _His playful smirk faded for a moment,"Baby, there's nothing to be worried about. I'm yours and you're mine forever and always. I promise. I love you."_

 _"To the moon and back?"_

 _"To the moon and back," He planted a lingering kiss on her lips._

 _He seemed to enjoy brushing and combing her thick red locks. Sometimes doing it with his own fingers until they curled up. Sapphire blues seemed to always bore into emerald ones with passion and love. Starfire believed everything he said as did he._

 _She would call his name in a soft purring manner. "..Richard.." As he massaged her scalp. He would reply with a plead,"Say it again, please."_

* * *

 **7:14 am**

 **Mount Justice**

I longed for that again. I yearned for something like that again. Anything like that again. The memories of what I once was. Of what we once were. It was somehow depressing and lifeless that I awake by myself and alone. Forever must not truly be that long.

It hurt so much.

Emotions have been built up and locked away for six long years.

I almost let out a laugh as Black Canary though I was going to blurt out everything at once. All of my sensitive memories and private information was the last bit of my sanity and I wasn't willing to share that. Not yet. Besides, I was happy for once. Almost anyway.

The room was lit dimly by a lamp. I was instructed to answer a few questions and I would be released to fly back to Jump. It wasn't like I was going to stay with this team. I was only here to complete the session and I suppose they wanted to assess my skills during the battle. To see if I was emotionally stable to continue being a heroine.

"Are you happy?" She asked. Her eyes were boring into mine sharply.

"I am more content than I have been, honestly. When I was in prison, I had Donna and Jinx. They were amazing friends but I was tired of doing the same things. True, I experienced the fun while being punished but, it was never the same. I lost everything and to be back is better. It allowed me the chance to breathe and shop and fight. But the pain is still there somewhere. Somehow."

"What pain? Please explain," Canary pressed.

I stumbled over some of my words,"What I mean is..I know what I did and didn't do. Only I am responsible for my actions and I was misjudged...By everyone I..cared for. And that hurts to not be trusted and to be blamed for. Especially by my friends and my love-"

"That's what you're here for. So we can wipe your slate clean. And by love do you mean NightWing?"

I nodded,"Yes. He was the one I thought I could trust the most. He was the one who understood me and my past. Everyone seemed to accept the fact that I was the murderer. That I was guilty," I felt my face heat up from anger. "Even you! Because they were my fingerprints on his dead face. I couldn't even attend my dear friend's funeral!"

"But what you and your police forgot was that it was _my_ apartment! Of course my fingerprint was going to end up somewhere. But the pain really cuts deep when he promised that I was the one and that it would be forever. And now he's making those promises to Babs! Do you know how that makes me feel? That I won't get my fairy-tail ending because of you guys and your stupid law enforcement!"

Black Canary stared at me intently,"So you're not happy?"

I giggled a bit sarcastically,"I'm fucking peachy."

* * *

 **8:32 am**

 **Titans' Tower**

Donna was my best friend and I forgot to call her. I had told her that I was going to call her at three in the afternoon and It wasn't until three in the morning when I remembered. I spoke of this to Black Canary who smiled and said,"Well you successfully completed your session. So whenever you're ready to leave I suppose you should go down there and speak with her face to face."

I nodded excitedly and waited some more. I wouldn't call her as I wanted to surprise Donna of my appearance. She would be so happy and she'd hug me, so would Jinx, as they'd stop their cards for me.

I yearned for that affection that Richard had once given me. I wanted so badly for him to glue back the broken promise so he could hold my hand again or brush his fingers through my hair. Sure, he pulled me over and kissed me. Richard was known for doing that and he has a girlfriend. Two for all I know and he left me.

The person I couldn't get off of my mind was Red X. His kiss was on my cheek and it wasn't as nearly romantic and classy as Richard's but it meant something. It was sweet yet hasty. It was quick yet meaningful. It was like if someone were to mutter 'I love you' at the end of a phone call every time you spoke it wouldn't mean anything but Red X; his meant the world to me.

I wanted to see him so badly. So I volunteered to stay an extra two days to fight along side of the Young Justice team. I offered to check certain areas by myself. I centered myself in plain sight. Seeing which criminals were where and who. And after each mission I departed into my room disappointed and bored.

As soon as details on the villain was communicated through the link I almost immediately lost interest. So much adrenaline gone and wasted to find it was a rape crime or another burglary. Nothing on this Nuke guy or Red X. Which is probably why Richard wasn't there to greet me when I walked into the Tower.

It was only Raven and Barbra who said hello. They both hugged me and dragged me into Raven's room to commence in the girl talk. They hadn't even asked me if I wanted to join. Raven quickly typed in her code and we sat on her bed.

Not much has changed in her room.

Her covered were wrinkled but made and her blinds were closed. On top of that, the curtains were drawn shut so not even a peak of sunlight could sneak in. The only light was artificial made from a lamp, like Black Canary's office.

I felt a twinge of jealousy as I knew Raven doesn't allow everyone into her room so, her and Babs must have bonded during my absence. However, I threw on a smile. Babs smiled back as Raven got the nail polish.

"So," Batgirl began wiggling her eyebrows,"How's you and Beastboy?"

I understood the question was directed at Raven so I waited for her to answer.

She shrugged her shoulders,"Frankly, I think he needs to grow up. I get that he's," Her eyes meet mine,"Excited but, it's so annoying sometimes. Everyone else became a man and he's still trying to bicker with Cyborg about tofu. Unlike Dick, how is he?"

She sighed a happy sigh,"Well, our anniversary is coming up and we were going to go to that new restaurant. You know that one by the movie theatre?"

Raven nodded as she shook up the polish.

"Yeah but I can't go. I have to go with my dad to his public speaking about Starfire getting out of jail. He has to explain to the public that she was falsely accused and that everything's alright now. You know, the apologies stuff to clear confusion. So, he said I always do this and I told him that he hasn't said anything or taken me out anywhere since the incident and-"

I cut her off,"By incident, do you me being released from jail?"

She and Raven stared at me until Babs replied sheepishly,"Uh, yeah. Listen, Starfire, I know I've been kind of a jerk to you but I want to let you know I'm so sorry for being a bit bitchy earlier. I don't know what came over me."

I smiled at her apology and lied while looking her dead in the eye,"Your apology means a lot to me."

She smiled again,"No problem. It's just, I blew up at him. You know, I heard him and Blackfire in my closet. When I was doing my laundry, I heard a bang. Turns out they were making out or something and she slipped on a banana peel. She totally twisted her ankle."

Babs laughed it off and Raven smiled.

"Yeah, and I know what you and he did on the roof. I was literally just around rthe corner so no surprise there. But it's cool. I knew your history and it wasn't the first time he did something like that."

"So, you're not mad at what Blackfire and Richard did?"

"Well, I mean it still hurts. But I'll get over it. He'll apologize and I'll-"

"Forgive him?" Raven asked astounded "You're letting him walk all over you. That's not how a relationship is supposed to be like."

Babs retorted,"Like you know. Yes, please, Raven, tell us all about relationship because the doofus you have snoring his ass off, with Cheetos hanging out of his mouth, on the couch is so romantic and loving and-"

"He's not walking all over me! He respects me!"

"Because he's scared of you! He's like you slave! Clearly, he's going to get over his playboy ways and come to his senses! So I don't know why everyone is so worked up over my relationship with him! You-"

"It's because you tell everybody you business!" Raven hissed at her. "At least Gar knows not to go drooling over every girl he sees!"

Barbra got up hastily,"Whatever, see you later Kor."

The door opened and closed. The air was heavily filled with tension and only slightly awkward. Raven continued to file my left hand. She spoke but I wasn't really listening. I turned back towards her. "What'd you say?"

"I said what color for your nails."

"Oh, uh, purple."

 _Purple's not a color in this game._

"I should have known," She offered me the tiniest of smiles. "Don't worry about her. She's a gold digger, anyway, after his wallet. I mean, she basically stole his credit card the first day you got here. Dick will finally come to his senses and marry you. So, don't worry, okay?"

I shrugged. The fumes from the polish were strong yet strangely smelled pleasing. It was a bit cold when it hit my nails but warmed up again. I didn't particularly enjoy being alone with her because it felt forced and awkward. Whatever she said to me I ignored and I think she's somehow reading my thoughts, violating my mind.

"Starfire, I just want you to know that I'm so sorry. I should have believed you. I should have scanned his body or something. Anything. I failed you and I feel like absolute crap. These years have been terrible without you and it's been a royal pain in my ass to live with the guys and an occasional loud-mouthed Bee, a snobby Babs and a bitchy Blackfire. I missed having you here because you're my best friend."

I stared up at her,"How sweet! I was wondering if you would like to come visit _my best friend_ , Donna Troy, at the jail with me?"

She soaked in what I said with a slight frown. Friendship was something we would have to build up again and we were never going to go back to the way things were. She was probably jealous that I claimed Donna as my bestie and ignored her speech. I can't help it. I hold grudges. But I didn't lie to her. Her apology sparked something in me and a playful glint glittered in my eyes,"It'll be a surprise!"

* * *

 **10:47 am**

 **Jump City Jail**

Raven had opened up a portal that dropped us directly in front of the jail. We signed in and the lady was more than surprised to see us there. The air was air conditioned and felt nice compared to the hot weather outdoors.

We had to wait on the other side of glass. There was a telephone to allow us to communicate her with. She sat down in one of the chairs quietly and squinted at Raven. Raven waved and we waited patiently for the lady to cut the line on.

 _"..Hello."_

"Hey, Donna! I thought I'd surprise you by visiting you!" I attempted to sound excited. I think it worked because I _was_ excited. Raven nodded in agreement.

Donna nodded too," _I see. It's very nice to see you, darling. Even if it's only on the other side of glass._ "

Her black hair was in frizzy knots. Her voice sounded groggy and raspy. Her nose was slightly running so she wiped it with the back of her sleeve. Maybe she always looked that way or maybe she just just woke up. But she looked very unkept and tired. Perhaps that's how I looked over the years. Her orange sleeves were rolled up and you could see a pit stain forming. But her beauty was still there even if she was sweating more that a pig. Her long eyelashes supported her clear blue eyes.

The way Donna was talking compared to earlier was more formal. I didn't know if it was because Raven was next to me or if life just started to suck for her. I just really wanted to give her a hug. A full warm embrace.

"Donna, what's wrong?"

She sighed, _"I'm just really tired and there's too much drama floating around right now."_

"What drama?"

" _Jenny..she attempted suicide. Everyday she would ask me...She'd be like, 'Donna should I overdose?' I would tell her that I would kill her myself if she tried. She asked me to, but I refused I swear! But she did it anyway..But the thing is, I knew she was going to do it. Does that make me bad, Koriand'r? You want to hear what she told me?"_

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyways."

" _Damn right I am. She told me that she was full of a hell load of sins. That she didn't want to be stuck in here any longer. That she wanted a taste of the freedom even if that meant going to hell."_

I gasped,"She's..dead? How-"

" _Hospital_."

"That is horrible. But how?"

" _She suffocated herself. Her entire face was purple._ "

 _Purple's not a color in this game._

A single tear slid down her pale Amazon face," _Kory, get me out of here. Please I-I don't want to be alone my whole life. I didn't do anything to him that night. And I'm afraid."_

"Afraid of what, my sister?" I asked her.

She shook her head refusing to answer. The begging look was still in her eyes as she denied every word she just said. Then, she stared up at the ceiling. It was odd. Very odd. I could sense the squirminess in Raven as we stared silently and uncomfortably. It was like Donna was having a conformation with X'hal and we were intruding on her privacy.

Hell, I looked up there too. Maybe X'hal was addressing both us. But when I looked up all I saw were panels. Some were white and some were tan. When I looked back at Donna she was still looking up. Then she started chewing.

Raven leaned into me and whispered,"She's having a flashback."

Seeing that one glistening tear fall was like seeing a dam begging to break. It was the first of many more to come. And I hated it. She was the one who kept me company all those years. Now, she needed me. My sister, best friend, needed me and I was stuck on the other side of the glass. I didn't care if I was going to cut my finger breaking this into shards but I was busting her out. Even if it was going to put me back in.

I wasn't going to be stuck on only one side of the fucking glass.

Not again.

Not ever.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Loves, you're too kind! That was 10 reviews so here's your chapter as promised.**

 **Miss Geek (Guest): A prequel? I've never heard of that one but it sound like a good fanfic. Sorry, love, this stories all mine. But I'm thinking of a sequel for this one though. Hehe, can you guess what I'm going to call it? _"good."_ Oh, I'm hilarious!**

 **Thank you so much for the favorites and reviews!**

 **I'm impressed if you haven't cried yet but by chapter ten, i'll have to send you some virtual kleenex.**

 **Oh, and I changed my profile picture. Same message but different backgrounds. How pretty!**

 **Alright, without further blabber from me, your chapter awaits.**

* * *

 _I laid the flower neatly in her bright hair and set the others in the vase. She looked like a fluffy piece of cotton candy even with a clear tube hooked into her nostrils. A faint smile spread across my face as that one flower looked to scarce. I whispered,"Draw four," as I pluck four more flowers from the vase. I decorated them in her hair until they kicked me out. As the staff escorted me out I hear a faint whisper,"Uno, motherfucker."_

* * *

10:56 AM

Jump City Jail

It was clear she was trying to speak with me through the phone. Her mouth was flapping with so many words trying to get to my ears but they bounced off from the glass. The lights were really bright and my neck was really hot. My hair only made itch and more uncomfortable. And if my hair made me uncomfortable, even in the slightest way, you can imagine how uncomfortable Donna and Jinx are.

Just the image of them being in a difficult state emotionally and/or physically made my heart thump louder.

They were my real friends and I've been treating them like absolute crap. I was lucky enough for them to see my true innocence and they were not even upset. They offered to teach me about the common ways of this planet and I cannot even promise her a phone call. Jenny was dying in a hospital somewhere because I wasn't there to play Uno with her.

I felt horrible.

The only two girls who even thought about giving a damn about me were hurting. And I was so far away. I managed to push away the only people who cared about my well being.

"Starfire, deep breaths, it'll be okay,"Raven's monotone voice soothed.

I frantically pushed off Raven's hand from my shoulder. She quickly put it back up there. Her voice changed to a more strict one.

"I'm only trying to help. Now your friend is in there trying to talk to you and you have the phone on the counter. I suggest you listen to her while we have time."

I whispered to Raven,"She probably hates me now. I hate me now."

Raven smiled,"I thought _you'd_ hate me. Honestly, I should've known you didn't do it-"

I moaned staring at Donna's saddened face through the glass,"Do we have to bring that up again? I said it was fine. All the changing of the codes and getting Blackfire and Barbra to take my place-"

"You see, it's not fine. I understand how now is not the time nor the place, but please hear me out."

I nodded for her to continue. She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder to calm my breathing from my episode earlier. I threw a small smile at Donna whose frustration turned into confusion.

"I seriously thought you hated me. After all the Titans did and said to you, you still had the confidence to come to the tower and go shopping with us. You shouldn't in any way hate yourself. Since I am an empath, I felt the strong feelings of suicide you had earlier in the week. And I can't believe that you had to deal with all of your thoughts for all that time. And you are the strongest person I know.

"And I happen to know a lot of people, in all sorts of dimensions, and you can beat all of them. Starfire, you were and I hope you'll still be my best friend. These past years have been hell without you. I had to deal with loud mouthed Cyborg, the three bitches Bee, Blackfire and Babs with an occasional Beastboy. And with a sexually frustrated and depressed NightWing. He loves you. He's just-"

"Raven, I thank you for all of this information as I know that opening up your feelings are hard for you. However, I'd rather not get into my past love life as it is clear that he does not love me. I thank all of your compliments and I promise to deliver you some later. I think I need a breather to settle down with all of my Tamaranean emotions and calm down from my episode earlier, yes?"

She smiled,"Of coarse. Leave me the phone so I can talk to Donna, though. She's going through it."

I am sure she meant it as a rare joke but, the small smile I wore didn't get any larger. But my respect, friendship and love for Raven did.

"She most certainly has. Oh, and Raven?"

Raven picked up the black telephone in unison when I spoke.

"Hm?"

"I definitely do not hate you, Raven. Not in the slightest, quite the opposite really. And we'll get through this rationally, yes?"

She broke into another smile that lit up her face. Raven nodded, acknowledging my comment. She then began speaking into the receiver and I listened to the fragments and awkward pauses in the one-sided conversation.

My emerald orbs were glued on Donna's facial expressions throughout her whole talk with Raven. But they weren't just on Donna, they were prying to see her and hug her on the other side of the glass.

Raven's voice rang inside of the telephone over to Donna,"I know I know...I'm sorry..We're gonna get you out of here, Kory and I. I owe her one."

She looked at me for reassurance. And my face broke into a grin. I nodded excitedly.

Raven hung the phone up and stood, turning around to face one of the officers chaperoning.

"Is there any way we'd be able to see our friend face to face?"

That wasn't even a question, it was a demand.

* * *

11:16 AM

Private Visiting Section

Donna looked even paler in person. She looked defeated like she wouldn't even try anything against the two security guards at either side of her. However, her face wore a smile and so did mine. I embraced her tightly. Her Amazonian strength allowed me to not have to hold back any of my powers.

"Don't touch the prisoners, ma'am." An officer said with a bushy mustache.

I glared at him, my emerald eyes brightening in warning. He shook his head and averted his eyes from our reuniting scene. Intelligently choosing not to say anything else.

My black haired friend sat back down in the foldable chair so we could talk while we had time.

Raven reached out her hand for Donna to shake. "Hi, I'm-"

"I already know who you are and you already know who I am. Do you have any gum?" Donna asked with a roll of her eyes.

This clearly took Raven by surprise as she also witnessed the real tears cascading down her cheeks not too long ago. Donna was like a whole different person in a matter of seconds. One minute she's congratulating me on the phone for joining the Titans and then she's yelling at me for talking to another Titan during our phone-call. Donna was extremely unpredictable and influenced me to get caught up in her bluntness.

Raven was temporarily speechless,"Uh..yeah, we picked you up some Trident before coming here." She dug into her oversized purple sweat shirt to pull out the pack of gum. Donna's smile almost reached her ears.

"You know Raven, you're alright. You are damn alright."

 _"_ You can't give anything to the prisoners. It's against visiting rules," Said officer bushy mustache.

Raven deadpanned,"It's just gum."

"The prisoners earn their own gum and playin' cards," He grumbled looking at his fellow officers for back up.

I glared at the officer,"And she earned that gum. Do you know what she has been through?"

Another officer spoke up,"Bill, stand down. I know these girls. They're good folks."

I turned to meet his gray eyes that matched his gray beard. His eyes were grayer than his hair and his eyes shone brighter than his badge. He was familiar as I've seen him before in this prison. He gave me a small smile that I returned.

 _"I am not sure what you're referring to, ma'am. We should head back to your holding cell."_

The first thing I thought was how adorable this old man was and how incredibly nice of him to stand up for a couple of bad jailbirds.

"You call prisoners good folks, Frank? Open your eyes sometime, yeah?"

Donna huffed,"Can you stop calling us that? 'Cause neither I nor she did anything wrong and the girl in purple's just visiting."

And with that the private room's doors burst open and the short lady behind the desk came running in her silver sandals. "Bill! Frank! Go to the front doors! There's a huge crowd of news reporters tryin' to bust in on the scene."

Donna rolled her eyes again,"Well hello to you too, Clara."

The lady laughed a breathy laugh as she paced the jail floor,"Donna! Donna, my Uno champion, you're going home."

Donna simply popped her minty gum as I saw her eyes start to water. I let a happy squeal escape my lips and Raven squeezed my hand to contain my new overcoming joy.

"Clara, you're not shitting with me, are you?"

 _"_ No dear, but paper work's still gotta get signed first and someone has to pick you up-"

"We'll do it. We're above eighteen and twenty-one. We'll definitely do it," I said with genuine excitement. I bit my tongue afterwards and pushed auburn hair behind my earlobe as I realized everyone's eyes were on me. "I-I mean if that's alright."

"It has to be at least twelve hours before she can leave for home. But yes, you guys can drive her home until then."

Frank chanted again,"I told you, good folks. Good folks, indeed."

"More like lucky folks," Bill mumbled in the private room.

Clara's bouncy blonde curls still bounced as she shooed the officers out to guard the front door. Her sweet southern accent rang out,"You girls better leave out back and come back in the morning. She should be all packed by then."

Raven and I nodded and hugged Donna farewell. All we had to do was leave her alone to finish chewing her pack of gum and she'd be fine. She walked back to her sector of the prison while we went out of the back doors. Due to lack of security in that moment, we could have snuck her out with us. But that would have lead to possibly getting her into more trouble and we didn't want to risk that.

As long as she wasn't stuck in captivity and forced to sit on one side of the glass or on one side of the bars, I was okay. Early tomorrow I would fly back to the jail to retrieve my friend and everything would be fine.

Well everything except for my other dying friend in the hospital, my new unknown feeling for Red X and Rich...Dick.

* * *

12:07 PM

The sun was shining through the windshield brilliantly. So brilliant that Raven lent me Bee's sunglasses that she left in the T-Car from the last trip. I hated to block out such beautiful sunlight but it was for our safety.

"I'm guessing you did not get those white roses for me, did you Raven?"

She chortled,"You're right, I didn't. Those are from Dick."

I raised an eyebrow,"For me?"

I looked over to my right to see her nodding. I looked in the rearview mirror again to see to pretty roses laid gently wrapped in plastic.

"I told you. He was just living up to his name. Give him another chance. He'll finally see that you two belong together."

I rolled my eyes at that comment and decided not to respond. It wasn't like her to defend Dick for his cheating playboy ways. Even if we were to start over I wouldn't be abled to get the image of my sister on top of him in my brassiere. Or Barbra and him cloud watching.

And when she wouldn't let the topic up, I softly spoke,"Subject change? This is supposed to be a buoyant moment about Donna finally being proved innocent."

She nodded. "Where's Donna going to stay when she gets released tomorrow?" Raven asked.

She was sitting in the passenger seat for once. She had her purple hoodie one and was talking with her amethyst eyes shut. Perhaps to block out the dazzling sunlight. She wouldn't see my answer if I shrugged,"I dunno. I was thinking with me at my apartment."

This caused her eyes to snap open,"Star, you can't."

"Why not?"

"That's where Jason's body was found."

"But I didn't put him there and I didn't touch him. It's still my place."

"Do you really want to stay somewhere a dead body was found in your kitchen?" She asked.

I knew she was correct. The images of his blood all over the floor and pills everywhere made me shudder. That was definitely not a place where I could lay my head to go to bed anymore.

"You are right. Where are we going to go?" I asked helplessly.

"The tower's always available," She suggested.

I groaned,"Not to be the stick in the mud here but, the tower is the last place I want to go."

"Why do you say that?"

"Raven, when I showed up my handprint had been removed from the scanners. Batman had to open the doors with his handprint and he lives all the way in Gotham. That was like a slap to my face."

"Okay," Raven sighed,"But let's not get too dramatic. We thought you were a psycho. And I apologized already. How long are you going to hold this grudge, Kory?"

"It isn't about grudges Raven, although I'm not going to forget what you guys did to me. I am going to learn to move on over time. But this is about how when I opened the door to my "room", my older sister and ex-boyfriend were in the bathroom. And she was wearing my brassiere, in my bed. And I'm thinking that maybe that stuff isn't mine anymore."

"Do you mean Dick isn't yours anymore?"

I fought to keep my eyes on the road,"He doesn't want to be mine and I'm not certain if I want to be his or vice versa."

"Starfire?"

"Can you keep a secret, friend Raven?"

"That depends if it's going to reveal why we missed the turn into the tower."

"That's not the secret, we're going to drop those roses off to Jinx."

"Kory, he's trying to make an effort here. At least thank him for the flowers when we get back."

My eyes glanced to my right,"Do you want to know the secret or not."

The empath smirked,"I have a feeling I already know but I don't want to make any assumptions. Maybe it'll explain why you're so willing to give up those roses _The_ Dick Grayson sent for _you_."

* * *

 ** _p.s i might need...oh i don't know...1,000 REVIEWS!_**

 ** _Just kidding guys, no, fifteen'll do._ **

**And is Frank and Clara not the cutest lil made up characters you've ever read? Until next time, loves!**


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Advertisement - Don't forget to check out my attempt at a gender bent one-shot Rain and leave a review!

Okay so there wasn't fifteen reviews like I had hoped however, if I make it to ten from this chapter I will update chapter ten tonight/tomorrow morning. This chapter is a bunch of filler for the next. Sorry no Red X in this one, but he does show up in the next where shit goes down. Oh, and my birthday was like three days ago! Until next time, loves!

* * *

 **1:05 PM**

"Okay, I think I might feel something for someone other than Dick," I said rather confident.

"Why are you calling him that?"

I rolled my orbs,"Because that is his name."

There was a defensive tone in my voice that I hoped she wouldn't figure out. It was obvious that I was used to saying Richard as his other name didn't roll off of my tongue quite right. It, however, didn't sound familiar to me anymore. I was challenging myself to move over him as he had moved over me.

"Star," Raven spoke tenderly,"You and him will get through this. Just, at least think about giving him another chance."

I sighed and tried to swallow my rage,"Another chance? Raven, why do you keep defending him? I was gone six years and he hasn't cared at all. None of you have. Please, I do not wish to bring him up again."

"What, has that special 'someone' always cared?" Raven's voice cracked though no tears welled in her amethyst eyes.

She was definitely more emotional. More direct with her feelings, openly saying how she felt. But her comment made something in me snap. My rage had been swallowed and my temper hadn't broke, though it was on the verge of committing to the act. What she said had opened my emerald eyes wider.

Had he cared?

For all I know I could be making something way more than it actually is. Sure he had always flirted with me in battle, so what did he do when I was gone? Flirt with one of the other girls? Raven, Barbra and Blackfire? The thought of him doing such a thing, even though we weren't in any relationship, made me gag. If Red X had cared so much, why hadn't he said anything earlier. This could possibly be the difference between a true love and a crush.

Raven raised an eyebrow,"Who exactly is this 'someone' anyway?"

"I-um...I'll tell you the secret later. We're here." I was glad for an excuse as we pulled up to the hospital.

I couldn't possibly tell her now. Well, at least not yet. I need a distraction to take my mind off of him to see if I want to even waste my time on him. Like I have any choice in the matter.

She caught onto my actions real quick.

"Kory she said sternly,"We have plenty of time. Who is he?"

I sighed again,"Look, I'm not even sure if I know anymore. I've been second guessing myself a lot lately and I certainly have a lot to think about regarding this subject. How about we just bring those roses to Jinx and drop it for now."

Raven oozed with maturity and understanding as she exited the passenger seat,"Fine. Just know that I only want you to be happy."

I nodded choosing not to say anything. I didn't bother to tell her that these past years have been anything but happiness. I was desperately trying to let go of the nasty grudge I was clinging to.

She reached into the back seat of the T-car pull out the bundle of pretty flowers. She ripped off the note delicately, making sure not to tear it, and passed it to me. There was a knowing look in her eyes and I stuffed it in the back pocket of my jeans. Insects were drawn to the sight of the roses, flying by to land on the petals. As we stepped into the hospital I shivered from a change in temperature. It was heavily air conditioned and smelled like hand sanitizer. The aroma was rather pleasing and gave a sense of cleanliness.

Many people sat in the waiting room staring at the news channel on the television or crying silently. Most were scrolling through their phones, glancing up now and then. The old lady behind the desk looked up from her dim monitor. Her wrinkles tightened as she squinted at us.

"We're the Titans, we're here to see Jinx," Raven muttered to the lady.

She chortled,"Hm."

Raven threw down her communicator and id seemingly out of nowhere. The lady, Deborah, looked down and her eyes slightly widened. She shook her head, muttering something to herself before clicked and typing on her computer. She then turned to look at us directly in the eye. "Lord have mercy, you're serious aren't you? Can I get a picture?"

I was surprised that Raven told her that information. The secret identity part of being a hero was definitely not my favorite. It was a rather confusing and boring process. On one hand you have to present yourself to the media and on the other you have to throw on sunglasses and a hoodie with the occasional holographic rings.

I always believed that if I saved your ass then you should feel free to know who I am.

But I get that regular people, not aliens/demons/cyborgs, want to have time for a normal life. I just never understood why you can't have a normal life as a superhero.

Why couldn't me and Dick both fight the crime together, return to our home and have dinner. Or go out to dinner without throwing on other personae and sunglasses? I confused me beyond belief and with all of the silly rules. How you cannot date another hero, how you cannot kill anyone just didn't mean justice at all.

It meant being a mind controlled robot who has one mission in life: Save the world.

So when we showed up into the hospital, me wearing jeans and a tank top and Raven in her over-sized hoodie, I expected her to say something to mask our identities better. My orbs met the lady's as I smiled from her recognition.

"Maybe later, we need to see our friend first."

The excitement died down in her voice as she spoke to me,"No offense, but I would just like a photo with Raven. If that's alright with you? Nothing against you or anything."

My smile faded,"What, why?"

"Wait a minute, how in the world is Jinx your friend? She's a criminal!"

Raven spoke up,"Will you please tell us the room number and I might just take a picture with you on the way out. We're kind of in a rush here."

"Sure thing. You know, visiting hours ended half an hour ago. They start back up at five to seven if you wanted to come back. Room number East 227."

Raven nodded and I followed her through the hallway clueless. My boots clicked against the tile flooring while we walked. She pressed the elevator button for the second floor and we rode in silence. I tried not to let the old lady's words affect me while we searched for room twenty-seven. There were a total of thirty rooms per floor with a cafeteria and break room.

Jinx's room was located at the end of the hall, unguarded by police officers surprisingly. She must've been in a real bad condition if they thought she was so defenseless that she could be left alone. Out of courtesy we knocked first but barged in without anymore hesitation. She was fast asleep. Or unconscious, either one.

 _Click, click, click._

Raven handed me the flowers to put on the hospital bed. The monitor was giving off unsteady beeps, representing her breathing and heartbeat. A pint of blood was hanging over her head by the monitor. Clear tubes were connected to her nostrils, pumping air into her lungs where it was needed.

For now, she was alive.

And that was all that mattered.

Her room was dim and one hand was handcuffed to the side of the bed. Her pink hair was dry with split ends and faded in it's color. Her roots were a dark brown. Jinx was unmistakably pale, her hands cold. I shook her, ignoring Raven's pleas to let her rest. I needed to see her eyes open. It started as a gentle push, a gentle shake. Me nudging her shoulder, tapping her sides. Then I started calling out her name.

"Hey. Jinx. Jen, wake up. It's Kory. I got you flowers. Jinx, _Jinx_."

The door swung open, revealing a nurse. He looked frightened as he had probably not expected to run into anybody else in this room. He chuckled awkwardly and checked the clock, noticing that it was not visiting hours.

"I-um..Are you loved ones of Jinx?"

"Isn't obvious?" Raven said in that monotone voice of hers.

The nurse nodded,"Well, I'm nurse Mason and she is temporarily asleep due to medicine for pain. But she should be awake any minute now."

I nodded and sat down in one of the chairs. Raven remained standing. The man checked her blood pressure and changed her bandages. We then watched as he thoroughly washed his hands. He flashed us another crooked smile before leaving the room. Raven tapped her and peeled open one of her eyes.

Jinx's other eye sprung open wildly. Then she coughed. In her awakening, she accidentally kicked the flowers off of the hospital bed. Even in her hasty wakening manner she looked as delicate as those flowers. Until she let out a breathy,"What the fuck?" She sat up looking around the room catching my eyes. Then her eyes drifted back to Raven.

"Do you..mind backing up some?" Jinx asked bluntly.

Raven rolled her eyes, ignored her rude request and bent down on the floor to pick up the fallen floral arrangements,"Here, they're from Star."

I walked over there to give her a hug, careful not to use any of my tamaranean strength. Her arms hung loosely around my shoulders like spaghetti. "Thanks Kory, you're..the bomb."

"Don't ever do that again Jenny, you and Donna were idiots. You could've lost your life."

"I already did" She smiled,"Don't worry, _mom_. I'm fucking peachy, alright? Trust me, I'm not getting out of this hospital and I'm cool with that. Honest to God. How's life?"

"It sucks because you're in the hospital, but Donna's getting released. Of course she has to go through court and all first, like I did, but she's doing okay, I guess. And the team thing suck, too. I'm not staying."

"You're not?" Raven asked alertedly.

"No, I'm not."

"When did you come up with this?"

"Just now. Hey Jen, how do you feel?"

"Kor, I'm in the motherfucking hospital. What do you think? My throat hurts from talking, so can you not talk to me anymore?"

"No one told you to talk so much. We just wanted to drop by and check on you. I'm gonna come back tomorrow, okay? This time during the actual visiting hours. See you then?"

She shook her head,"I'm not going to be here tomorrow. I'm going to die-"

"Jinx, stop it! Do not say that, and do not try suicide again, you hear me?"

"Starfire, my powers never stopped. I can make this hospital bed fall through the floor and crash into the first level. By the snap of my bandaged fingers I can make this tube stop flowing with oxygen. You see? I'm going to die, _I want to_. I'm not going back."

"Jenny, you can break out of those handcuffs and run down the streets in a hospital gown. You can come to the tower where we'll treat you and then let you go. Why waste your life here?"

"No," Raven said sternly. She shattered the thoughtful silence with that single word. "You're not breaking out of those handcuffs because you are not authorized. Starfire, you know whatever crazy scheme you were think it was wrong and I'm not letting her nor you go through with it."

"See..,"Jinx took a deep breath,"You should've never brought her with you."

"Raven.." I begged.

"Starfire, no! Listen to yourself! You said you weren't staying with the Titans so why would we treat a criminal? Like I said before, you're so different. No, I'm not letting this happen."

"You would treat a criminal because she's my friend. People can change, Raven. If she stays here she's going to kill herself. We can find help for her if we take her with-"

"No. That is breaking a criminal free. There's a reason she's in a handcuff. And she was your friend when you were in prison. Now that you're out of prison it's time to move on. Come on, Star, we'll see her tomorrow. Let's just agree to disagree on this one."

"Raven, no! Are you listening to yourself? There won't be another tomorrow for her-"

"How do you know she's not just saying that because she wants to have attention or something? She's a villain, a manipulating minx. We need to go, this is getting out of hand."

"She means it. Look how far she brought herself here. She committed suicide and it brought her to the hospital. People can change for the better. And villains aren't such a bad thing. And how dare you call yourself a hero if you're not going to help someone in need? We have the supplies and equipment she needs. We have heavy surveillance."

"No, Starfire, the Titans has all of that stuff. You can't not call yourself a Titan and then expect to waltz in the tower whenever you feel like it. Jinx, can we trust you?"

"No, absolutely not. I'm a manipulating minx."

"That's your answer Kory, let's go. We'll see her tomorrow, I promise."

"Raven, please. I do not wish to argue with you any longer."

 _"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."_

 _****************tt*******************_

I opened my eyes to find me in the passenger seat of the car. The light coming from the windows were bright so I searched for Bee's sunglasses. Looks like things got too out of hand.

"I'm sorry, Starfire," Raven spoke as she made a left turn. "She just can't come with us."

"People can change, Raven. Jinx can join the team."

"Kory, you don't even want to be on the team anymore. And not everyone can change. Are you telling me that if Deathstroke or Red X was in that same position you would offer them to come to the tower,"

His name was like a trigger word,"Of course."

"Starfire, all that's Slade has put us through and-."

"No, not Slade. Red X. _He's_ the special someone."

She moaned in the driver's seat at my confession," _Oh Star._ "

I could sense her sympathy. There. My secret was out in the open. No going back now.

"Raven, listen, I know what you're going to say. That I'm in over my head and that I'm delusional. I understand that he's a villain but I cannot keep following Dick around like a lost puppy anymore."

"I understand. Now it's time to follow Red X like a lost puppy."

I groaned at her comment,"No, it's not like that at all-"

She smiled,"I get it, it's thrilling. I'm supporting you, okay? Just don't get hurt. And please stay with us until this whole Jinx and Donna thing blows over."

I nodded.

* * *

 **Tuesday**

 **Jump City Jail**

 **8:47 AM**

It's been two days since my argument with Raven. I haven't spoken with Jinx since, I've been too much of a coward. I feared the worst. Thinking that her body would be found in another suicide attempt. Something that I could've stopped but I let myself be persuaded by my former best friend. I've been sleeping on the floor of my own room while Blackfire slept in the circular bed. The provided me with sheets and a pillow in attempts to make it as cozy as possible. I just couldn't help but feel some type of way. _Betrayed._

Turns out that my elder sister has a sore tailbone for slipping on my accidentally left behind banana peel from my closet. The situation is heavily absurd to begin with and we refuse to bring up why she keeps an icepack in the region when seen in the common room. Blackfire doesn't talk to me much, not even two full sentences since that moment in the dressing room.

I am not exactly sure on how I feel about that yet.

But I know exactly how I feel when I went to the jail this morning. Donna was supposed to be released. It was planned and decided. So what happened? They refuse to talk about. I am mentally kicking myself for letting two whole days go by without her. I walked right up to the front desk; Just the person I was looking for.

"Where is she? She was supposed to be ready to be picked up two days ago, what happened? Officer Clara?"

She sighed from behind the counter,"Donna was...overruled guilty by the court."

This startled me,"What do you mean she was overruled? You said yourself that she was going home. Did you lie to us?"

The blonde officer's hair fell covering her brown eyes. She refused to answer any of my questions and continues going through files. It angered me but Clara, she was the nicest cop out there. Her warm, honey brown eyes with fluffy spring blonde curls screamed kindness. This was unlike her and I needed every bit of classified information as possible.

I practically begged with my emerald eyes for her to explain.

"Miss Anders, I strongly suggest you get outta this prison before they find a reason to make you stay."

"But why-"

Her voice broke as she snapped," _Listen,_ I don't know what happened. You are good folks, not bad peoples. I know she was your friend but, they found more proof that _she_ did it. There ain't anything else we can do to help her out any further. Now please, Starfire, leave before they throw you and Jenny back in here."

"More proof? Clara, you and I both know that she didn't do it. Someone's trying to frame us. And they are succeeding. We're heroes, why is the law enforcement so focused on us. We're on the same side here!"

" _Are you_? You know, a _hero_?" She asked hopeful.

"I-I.."

"Well, are you a villain?"

"I don't believe so."

"Well then, you're a hero. A Titan. You need to go back to your team before the media thinks its suspicious that they released you from jail and you're not continuing to fight crime."

"I do not care what the media thinks! Where is Donna, I need to speak with her."

She sighed,"She's where she's always been."

I knew she was going to let me see her. Clara was kind, like I had said. I nodded and headed off to the back and she slid me the key. Clara trusted me and she was an officer. That was the way the world should act. But I believe it is only because of my affiliation with the Teen Titans. She smiled then took a sip of her coffee slowly,"Please Kory, you're good folk. Don't get messed up with her or anyone else."

* * *

Review! I promised to update like tomorrow or Sunday.


	10. Chapter 10

_Miss Geek: yay August babies!_

 _TheUltimateStar: I know, poor Jinx and Donna._

Oh my gosh, 51 reviews!? You people like this story _that_ much?! Wow, thanks so much! ^.^

I got quite a few PMs saying how Starfire's so OOC well, if you were an alien abiding by the Earthen rules and they accuse you of murder, make you stay in prison for six years of your life to find out that the accusation was all false, you wouldn't be the same bubbly person. A lot can happen over that time frame, just saying.

Wow, already at the tenth chapter. This was supposed to be a short story. And we're only like half way finished. Sorry for the long wait guys. This chapter is a bit longer than the others. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story! It gives me so much hope. So here it is, just as promised. And there's so much plot going on. About the plot, so much escalates so please bare with me! Enjoy and until next time!

* * *

 _Opening and slamming doors, raising windows to crawl through. Escaping. Tired of suffocating from all of the close walls. The architecture of this building a major hazard to safety and sanity. Twisting, desperately pulling on doorknobs to leave and make the exit that was desperately hoped for. Exhaustion from being trapped all your life, banging on the on and only exit. The doorknob being jiggled in every which way as if forgotten how doors work. And that's when you realize, all this time, you've been behind bars. Freedom is right in front of you, but you dare to break free._

* * *

 **Tuesday**

 **8:50 AM**

 **Jump City All Woman's Jail**

The hallway was dimly lit and the flooring was grey with smudges. Behind the locked door is access to all of the cells provided to the prisoners. All of the cages given to the people who committed crimes were right in front of me. For once I was on the other side. I remember my cell; both of them. The one I shared on Earth with Jolene and another bulky woman. There had been an overflowing issue with the Jump City prison. Mostly because of the Titans putting more criminals in jail but, also because more people want to challenge the Titans.

Needless to say the prisons here were much nicer than the ones I've experienced in the past.

I memorized Donna's cell number. The only sound was the clicking of my boots as I walked. Similar to when I was walking to Jinx's hospital room. It was like my longest fingernail pressing the same key one a computer keyboard. There was a police officer standing outside of almost every cell. Probably about seven in total all on patrol in case something went wrong.

It wasn't quiet and it was somewhat empty. Most of the girls, since it was morning, were out doing recreation or working for pieces of chewing gum and playing cards. I say working as in making license plates and signs for the road. Helping out the staff doing the laundry, patching up their only two pairs of uniform. I guess it was better to have something to do for the rest of your life than nothing at all.

The few ladies who were in their cells were either asleep, arguing with their roommate or peeing/puking. Most just gawked at me as I walked cautiously. The smell was putrid and horrid. Absolutely foul. A mix of urine and bad breath from the woman who're talking. I suppose I was used to the smell after living here for six years.

Walking a bit forward I saw Donna and all her glory. She was still in bed, wide awake. This was strange as it was nearly nine in the morning. Usually we woke early to get our laundry done or take care of personal hygiene in the communal bathrooms. They had license plates and street signs that needed to be made to earn chewing gum and playing cards, breakfast was normally served around this time and other activities. So many things to do while in prison and she laid shifting periodically underneath the tattered blanket.

"Donna."

"It's not visiting hours,"Her voice cracked.

I sighed at her attitude.

She lifted her head up from the covers to reveal a knotty black mop. I could see the crust of drool from the other side of the bars. She groaned and stretched before lying back down on her back. Her long, pale leg hung limply on the edge of the twin-sized bed.

"I was just checking up on you. All I have to do is visit Jinx next but-"

A low grumble escaped her lips,"Just cut it out already, please Starfire, drop the fucking act. Please. I don't need to be babysat, I really don't. I mean look at this place. There's officers all around this place because this is a jail. I can't screw up anymore than I already have so stop caring. It's getting fucking annoying."

"I still think we're being set up. Someone wants us to be in prison. I mean Jinx is an actual criminal but you and I had an unfair trial. And it's not an act Don, I'm dead serious."

She giggled,"I know and it's so annoying. You're always so serious, taking everything literally. That's probably why you and bird boy didn't work out. You're both serious and focused. I mean, of course you can have your fun moments but mostly your trying to fit in on this stupid planet. That's why you like Red X. He's laid back and you're...you're up tight. Opposites attract, like me and you."

"Gee, thanks Donna. I come here to see you and you yell at me to drop an act I don't have. I'm on your side here. I've been in your shoes for six years and more however, no one was there to check on my well being. Don't be such a toad."

Donna brushed it off,"Oh please, I yell at you all the time. Suck it up, babe. Or just suck it."

"You don't have anything to suck," I deadpanned.

She shimmied with her bulky shoulders, swinging her breasts left and right. I rolled my eyes at her immaturity but couldn't help the smile grace my features. When she finally stopped her shaking and her chest area became still, she stood up to put on clothes. Or rather her uniform, an all orange onezie. She licked her rough Amazonian hands and ran it over her raven hair.

"You're absolutely disgusting."

"You still love me, though," She said half heartedly.

I picked up on the change of atmosphere,"Hey, are you okay?"

She strutted to the buzzer to ring for an officer to walk her to another room. She pressed the tiny red button approximately ten times before another set of footsteps were heard walking down the hall. Her blue eyes then looked up to my emerald ones as she fastened her suit.

In a bored tone she spoke,"Fucking peachy. Now can you leave? Me and Jolene are gonna play Uno, _without you_."

I stepped out of the way so the security could unlock the cell and escort her. At her words I felt a pang of pain, as I knew it was a harmless tease and that she probably didn't think twice about before speaking out, I couldn't help but take it as an insult. Her smile was friendly and nice but words rubbed off on me the wrong way.

"..Yeah," I said absently.

We began to go off in different directions; figuratively and literally. The exit slowly became closer as I replayed our conversation. I didn't even know where she was going to. A part of me hoped she was going to eat breakfast and the other half me wanted her to hit the showers and think about what she said. My face heated with anger as her voice echoed in my head. How dare she call me uptight and annoying...after the effort I've put in for her.

But this was Donna we're talking about here. I can't get caught up in her words.

* * *

 **9:25 AM**

 **Jump City's All Woman Jail**

"That was quick, everything okay hun?"

I looked back and saw her, Clara's bangs brushed back and she seemed calmed compared to the first time we spoke. I nodded and broke into a fake smile before walking out the doors into the warm spring air.

It was going to be summer soon, vacations and everyone out of school. Shimmering sunshine and blazing heat waves. Going from spring flings to burning summer desire. More hot guys..I wasn't prepared. I had absolutely no idea on what I would be doing or what I'm getting myself into. Going from one guy to another most likely will lead to two heartbreaks.

I'd have to build a wall. A wall to block excessive friendships and relationships. Things shouldn't need to get more complicated than they already are. I'd have to close myself off. Choose one path and stick with it. I began power walking back to the Tower, where I was currently staying. Only for the time being. There was too much on my mind to summon enough joy to fly back across town. I started towards a bus stop, planning to be a regular civilian for an hour and take a normal mode of transportation. However, the way the breeze blew my hair and the sun shone down on my cheeks I could not resist the temptation. It was a huge risk I was going to take, flying that high all the way back.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I could do it. If I stayed on track and didn't get distracted. I stopped walking and slowing lifted off the ground feeling energized and invincible. A real smile graced my features and I was high above the clouds. All of the Red X and NightWing bullshit was behind me...No, underneath me. My argument with Raven was almost forgotten as I peacefully flew to the place I had to stay. It was Donna and Jinx that nearly made me tumble to the ground.

And also the agonizing screams from the nearby mall below.

Gracefully, I dipped down and landed at the entrance.

A few fleeing people here and there with their children but not a massive group. Possibly due to the earliness of the morning and the not to long ago opening of the mall. Easily, I swooped into the sliding doors of the city's small shopping center and walked in.

Nothing was heavily out of the ordinary. There were about two potted plants spilled over the freshly mopped floor that caught my eyes, and a knocked down yellow sign to warn others of the wet floor. I concluded that it was from all of the people rushing out but my guard stayed up nonetheless.

"Hey cutie, wanna grab a sandwich?"

I spun around so quickly my hair whipped into my face. I brushed the sudden bush of vermilion away from my eyes sheepishly. He was here. Knowing him, he probably was here to draw attention to himself. A little part of me was hoping he was causing a distraction to see me. That foolish part of me felt flattered at the idea of him being here from Gotham to communicate with me and only me. That desire was bubbling inside of me violently, wanting him to desperately take of the mask and just hold me in a tight embrace.

I shivered just thinking about his arms around me.

His masked voice was so uninviting and unromantic but intriguing, I had to join. I had to reply something flirty yet witty to his question. Quick, say something flirty, to make him more interested with you.

"Halt, you are not welcomed to cause damage to this public place any longer. You shall surrender and return the suit to the Titans."

Great, now he was going to think I'm some low-life, stuck-up goody-two-shoes. Donna already sees me through those lenses.

I could feel the smirk on his face,"See, I like that about you. I think it's cute. You enforce justice so much yet you were the one who got caught."

Donna was right. Red X was the opposite of me and Donna. He was relaxed and casual with a soothing stance oozing from him.

Just say something laid-back and casual,"Uh, thanks, I guess. What are you doing here, causing chaos for fun?"

He chuckled,"Just wanted to see you possibly hang out. You've been gone for a long time, I almost miss you."

My heart leapt in my chest,"But you're a villain and I am a hero. We cannot 'hang out'. And you certainly cannot miss me because I am a hero, a Titan."

"I said 'almost'. And there you are, always following the rules. I came all the way from Gotham to see you and you say we can't hang. It's not like I'm asking you on a date or anything so we're not breaking any important rules. Just, come eat a sandwich with me and tell me how jail was _hero_."

Say no,"No."

He shrugged and muttered an 'I tried.' I was mentally slapping myself.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry! Chapter eleven is already written and on the way soon! Again, sorry for the delay but please review! You guys are so inspiring!


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